Ballet du Fou
by Arrixam
Summary: All Jaune wanted was to become a huntsman to rid the world of bandits and prove someone wrong. It was a simple dream. But during his time at Beacon does he realize his dream is shallow. There is something more at play and humanity doesn't have a means to stop it. The World needs a Hero- the capital letters are important, apparently. (Contains original lore)
1. Will Nature Make a Man of Me Yet?

**A note from the author!**

There! I did it!

...Kinda. Okay, so, it took me a lot longer than anticipated to come up with this story. I watched all of RWBY, forgot half of it, watched it again, watched it a third time to take notes, and then a fourth time to confirm my notes and storyboard. Some of the canon doesn't make sense but I think I can take it as a liberty to tweak a few thing to fit.

Originally, this was supposed to be a trilogy. Each chapter was going to be at 30k words. But as I drew out the storyboard, I realized I am building a whole world instead of just creating a simple story. By the time I got to 10k words and realized where I was in the story, I realized there was no way possible I could cram it all in under those restrictions.

So, here you go. A whole new story.

 **For new readers,**

This is a crossover between RWBY and my personal lore from the "Arryverse". I swear I didn't come up with the name myself. I am taking the world of RWBY as a template while throwing my own lore into the mix. Most of the roles will be the same. The only difference would be how well it all fits in a... cosmic sort of scale. Technically speaking, all of the canon cast should remain the same in terms of personality and background. It's just they will undergo new trials when involved with new mechanics I will be introducing.

For example, I want to see what would happen if the cast has to fight against a Dra'cueri. Assuming you're a new reader (hence the tag above), you won't know what I'm talking about. These sorts of things will be explained as the story progresses. And if there is something you don't understand, I apologize for the confusion beforehand and ask that you be a little patient as chapters are produced.

 **For, uh, "Arryfans",**

Okay, that one I made up. Moving on, the lore you have seen in, say, _The Dragoon_ series or _Broken Rules_ is mostly the same. Originals, Primordials, Guardians, Predators, etc all exist. However, things such as Predators will be different from those in _Dragoon_ due to the nature of the planet. Again, everything will be explained in due time. I've also introduced a new concept that I haven't had the chance to reveal in any of my other stories.

I believe that covers everything necessary right off the bat.

Right then.

 _On with the show..._

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **This Charming Man**

A quiet day in the office. The cogs and gears keeping the tower alive played a blunt melody as they worked. It was a subtle orchestra of machinery. Most would have paid it no mind or think it as disruptive noise. Some would have claimed to have gone crazy having to listen to it all day every day.

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee. The noise to him was music. It reminded him of his once and only time of perfection, where both harmony and disaster ruled his life.

The tapping of glass disrupted the song. He didn't need to look to see what it was.

The day would no longer be quiet.

He got up, walked through the piles of paperwork littering his floor, and opened the window. A raven as black as the night flew into his office.

Before he could finish shutting the window, the raven had transformed. A woman still in the peak of her youth stood in front of his desk. Her hair was black, eyes as red as blood, and skin pearly white. She wore a red dress favored in the Kingdom of Mistral with the additions of armor, gauntlets, and grieves. At her side was a katana, to which she kept a hand on its hilt at all times.

"Raven," Ozpin shut the window and turned. He didn't return to his desk as he gazed at her for a moment, sipping his coffee to prolong the moment further. "This is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Raven Branwen had a hard expression. Harder than usual, anyways. While he had been gazing at her for nostalgia's sake, her eyes were wary and observational.

"Ozpin," her voice was curt while her eyes narrowed. "I've come here for answers. No more games. No more secrets."

He didn't comment right away. A curious brow rose out of habit. And out of just as much of a habit, he took another sip from his coffee. "I don't believe I follow. I already told you about Salem and the Maidens. What more is there to ask for?"

She remained silent just as long, watching him as if she had never seen him before. Her guard was up. She would use that sword against him at an instant. Her Aura was folded over her skin, acting as a second layer of armor as well as a medium to amplify her strength. Her control had been refined since the last time they met. It would have taken a huntsman more than just experience to reach this level of fortifications; they would also have to have been in the midst of fighting to produce this amount of Aura.

He had deduced what she had become since the disbandment of Team STRQ. But there was no need to reveal this to her. Not yet.

He did not put up a guard. There was no need. He welcomed her. And he showed it by returning to his desk and sitting himself down in the leather chair. He also placed his cane against the desk and out of his immediate reach.

He took another sip of coffee while he awaited her response.

Her response was to approach his desk and stab a black dagger into the center.

Another brow was raised. The dagger was beautiful. And powerful. He could feel Aura resonating through it like a tuning fork that never stopped. It played such a beautiful note only he could hear. Perhaps Raven could hear it, to a degree of course— just enough to realize there was something special about this instrument.

"And what, may I ask, is this?" he gestured at the dagger with his coffee mug.

"You said the Maidens were the only ones who could wield magic," she hissed as she pressed her hands flat on his desk. She leaned forward to look at him at eye level. "At first, we thought it was a Semblance. To completely conceal his Aura… I'll even accept the ability to turn invisible. Those two abilities seemed similar enough.

"But to duplicate himself? To turn into _shadow_? To create as many of these daggers as he wanted? Maybe, just maybe, it was a rare Semblance of illusion. I've seen people who can turn illusions into physical objects. Fine.

"But when he ripped the heart of one of my men without directly touching him… that's where I drew the line. It took everything I had to kill him, Ozpin. He wasn't even an experienced huntsman. He was just a boy who got caught trying to steal from us."

Ozpin listened. He didn't drink from his coffee this time. His eyes never looked away from hers.

Incidentally, the dagger had vanished. The only proof it had been real was the scar left on his desk.

"So," she stood straight and crossed her arms, "do you have a fairy tale for this one?"

"As a matter of fact…" he began as he leaned back in his chair. It was going to be long so he may as well get comfortable. "I would prefer to call this one a legend. Fairy tales are things told to children. This one is more myth and should be taken with a lot more skepticism than your typical fantasy."

"I will decide for myself whether it's real or not," she said curtly.

"Very well. You are aware of the two, the Brothers? The older ruled over the light and the younger ruled over the dark. One brought about creation and life to the planet while the other brought about decay and ruin. But when the older brother grew upset with the younger's constant attempts to destroy his work—"

"They both created humanity and blessed them with the four gifts," she cut him off with a bored tone. "Creation, knowledge, choice, and destruction. I'm also aware they took on physical forms as Relics— one of which you guard here. Do not waste my time, Ozpin."

He smirked, "Glad to see you haven't forgotten after all these years. Yes, well, once humanity began to prosper and started to find ways to fend off the Grimm, something had tipped the scales. The Grimm were becoming more ferocious in their attacks. Villages and wholesome cities were purged. Grimm that hadn't been seen before had appeared suddenly. And with each time the Grimm succeeded in wiping out a civilization, fear rose among the people.

"With more fear and panic came more Grimm. And with every confrontation were the Grimm becoming stronger. Humanity was on the brink of extinction.

"But, I find in the moment of absolute despair does humanity's strongest side rise up. Bravery, sacrifice, and hope.

"When the Grimm came to a small village without a huntsman to protect it, a young woman stood in front of the pack with only a guardsman's shield and sword. She only thought about protecting her family. She stood alone to face against the monsters of Grimm.

"And by a miracle was she able to repel them.

"News of her victory spread. People flocked to the village to meet this girl who had saved her village. With the same sword and shield, she rallied the people who gathered towards her. She went on a campaign to save the next village over. And the one after that. And eventually the kingdom at the time.

"With each victory did her army grow. Hope filled everyone upon hearing a unified force that could oppose the Grimm of that era. And with each person added to her cause did she become more powerful. It was said at the peak of her power did she alone slay an army of Grimm.

"But this story has no happy ending. Perhaps out of jealousy, or perhaps out of fear of being overthrown, or perhaps out of a darker reason behind closed doors, the king of that time had her arrested. She was tried and charged with practicing forbidden arts and taming Grimm. And the people believed it despite following her for so long. After all, how else can a single individual fight against the Grimm with countless assured victories? She was burnt at the stake. No one could save her. No one… _wanted_ to save her."

He drank his coffee as silence filled his office. He couldn't hear the music of clockwork at the moment. All he could hear were the choking screams of a woman on fire.

"And what does this have to do with my issue?" Raven asked, albeit with more calm in her voice this time.

"I cannot say whether or not this was a design of the Brothers," he said after a moment. "But this isn't the first time this had happened. Arc, Nikos, Alcaeus, Pendragon… these are but a few names whose great ancestors were met with similar circumstances. When humanity as a whole is at a breaking point, when they are backed into a corner and when darkness is at its strongest, will a spark of light come from the deepest pits of fear.

"I have no name for these beings of unique power. But if you say you came across one of them only tells me dark times are upon us. These… _heroes_ only rise up when humanity is on the brink of extinction. It's possible you may have doomed us all by killing this boy."

"…Heroes," she said, tasting the word. Then, she gave a single dry laugh. "I have no need for such things. If humanity is weak enough to need to rely on a single individual, then it's better if we die off. I, however, have no intention of laying down quietly."

"Your confidence is admirable, Raven," he replied in a simple tone. "Be sure to not confuse it with arrogance. There is nothing wrong with leaning on your fellow man when it is needed."

"Don't try to lecture me, Ozpin," her eyes turned sharp. "I'm not one of your students. Not anymore."

"Consider it advice from a friend."

"Tell me something," her tone matched her eyes next. "Why didn't you tell us about any of this? You talked to us about you, Salem, the Maidens, and the purpose of the academies. And, Ozpin, I'm going to be upset if you tell me you were waiting for the perfect opportunity."

"No, Raven, I'm not as forgetful as I pretend to be," though his voice was even, his eyes had sharpened just as much. He leaned forward and cupped his hands together under his chin. "The appearance of these individuals was of no relation to our battle against Salem. Just as there was no need for me to speak to you about something you already have suspicions about, _Predator_ Branwen."

Her Aura spiked, covering her in a thick layer that distorted her outward appearance. Her hand was upon her katana faster than any person, commonfolk or huntsman, could have seen.

"Congratulations on your ascension," he said and meant it. "You have reached a level of talent not even the finest of huntsmen can obtain after a lifetime of training. Was the transition a shock?"

For the longest moment, neither of them moved.

Her Aura settled back into its previous fluctuation. "I can't sleep. I can sense every threat directed at me, no matter how big or small, constantly. I know the location of anyone I think about no matter how long it's been since I've seen them and how far they are from me. I know my brother is just like me. And I know he knows I'm here as soon as I thought of him. He's looking at me all the way from Vacuo. But you already know about all of that, don't you?

"…Just as how you should know the only ones I can't sense are Salem… and you. You're not like us. I don't even think you're human. What are you?"

He smiled. A disarming smile full of warmth… and a bit of bitter spite. "I'm afraid, Raven, that is one secret I'm not willing to give up so easily. Not to someone who is no longer a part of our cause. I'll have you know I am human. I am just as mortal as the next person. But I have my ways of going unnoticed by the World."

She frowned with annoyance and disappointment. But also with acceptance. She knew he wouldn't talk about it unless she devoted herself to the fight once more. And he knew she wouldn't no matter how hard he tried to convince her. Her mind was set.

"I have no proof for the story I told," he said as he leaned back in his chair once more. "I cannot point you in the right direction just like with Salem or the Maidens. These beings appear when humanity is in dire need… and oft disappear just as quickly. They are forgotten more times than I am comfortable with. Their legends are only told through oral depictions by their descendants. And that is assuming, of course, they lived long enough to have offspring in the first place."

"I don't need to believe in your story," she said as she began to make her way towards the window. "I only needed to confirm my suspicions about something. Whether or not your story is true or exaggerated, I know for a fact beings like that exist. I can find the truth for myself."

"Are you sure I can't convince you to stay for a drink?" he asked while raising his mug. "For old time's sake."

"I came for one thing and one thing only," she said and stopped short when she stepped on a few papers. She frowned as she looked around, "Just as I remember it… Get yourself a secretary, Ozpin."

"She starts at early next week," he replied with a wry smile.

She hummed in dismissal. She opened the window, climbed out, and leapt off the edge and towards the ground thirteen stories below. When he looked again, a raven flew off towards the horizon.

It would be the last time he'd heard from Raven Branwen for several years.

0-0-0

Jaune hurled into the private bathroom of the transport airship. Someone was banging on the door but he had already told them he needed a minute. They kept banging. His hands clenched around the sink's rim as he stared at himself in the mirror.

He was fifteen now, almost sixteen. He had inherited his family's traits of fair skin, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. He was a man now. More of a man than most people on this ship. Probably more than the actual adults.

He was on his way to Beacon Academy. His favor had come through and he was admitted into the huntsman's academy. He was to be trained as a huntsman for the next four years. His dream was starting.

He wasn't deaf to the mocking from the other students on the ship. They laughed at him, especially when he was dressed in ragged clothes such as the whitewashed and torn jeans, a sweatshirt he picked up from a thrift shop, and cruddy and smelly armor picked off from a bandit. They almost refused him to board until he showed his identification. The sword at his hip helped.

He wiped his mouth with a paper towel and stood up straight, placing a hand on the pummel of his sword out of a habit ingrained into him by years of abusive… training. He briefly wondered how much weight was placed on the importance of this sword. Out of everything he had on hand, the heirloom was the finest piece of equipment he owned. Despite its simplicity, it was a weapon better crafted than most on the ship.

The students had laughed at him anyways. That he could ignore… to a par. He wasn't a huntsman. He may have been a part of the Arc family but he didn't exactly grow up the way his father wanted. He didn't receive the training he was supposed to. He didn't even get to go to any of the prestigious boarding schools his father and grandfather attended.

He was a sham. A fake. It took the moment of absolute bravado in the peak of his confidence to call in this favor. He was on top of the world at that moment! And then it came crashing down like a bird losing its wings as he realize _who_ he made this request to. He wasn't fully surprised she kept her word until the identification card worked on the scan.

It didn't stop him from puking. The students called him weak, saying if he couldn't handle a little turbulence and motion sickness then he couldn't handle being a huntsman. He might have agreed with them if it were true.

He was having a panic attack because he was afraid. He wasn't used to this kind of fear. This was all new to him and he didn't know how to handle it. What he was doing was a crime.

If he was found out, he wouldn't just get kicked out of the academy. He could get arrested for identity fraud. Worse, if they made him talk and find out where he got the ID and transcripts from, they would charge him with things much worse. Things he would rather bury in the deepest reaches of his mind and forget forever.

No. Worse, _she_ would come after him if he was caught.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute already!" he shouted back when the banging was becoming hammering. Seriously, it was like these people couldn't control their bladders.

…Not that he was one to talk. He may or may not have accidents here and there.

He readied himself, taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves and looking at himself in the mirror once more. He wasn't a boy anymore. It was time to be a man and face his fears.

He stepped out of the bathroom, ignored the glare from the boy taller and thicker than he was (plus the shoulder bump on purpose), and walked down the hallway to the viewing deck. Here was where the majority of the students resided, sharing stories and gossiping as they awaited the arrival time.

He isolated himself from everyone else as he leaned on the railing and looked through the glass wall. They were out in the middle of the ocean with the capital city of Vale on the horizon. He could see Beacon Academy with its iconic watchtower beacon standing above all other buildings.

He took another deep breath as his nerve began to rattle him. He was almost there. There was no need to get so riled up. He would find out if this planned worked once he got there. It was all or nothing at this point.

Towards the front of the deck was a hologram screen that took up a few glass panels. On it was the Vale news with a pretty anchorwoman sharing recent events in an unattached voice. One of the girls on the ship had single-handedly stopped a robbery on a Dust shop but the head perpetrator had gotten away. She was kinda cute, though she seemed pretty young and had their air of innocence despite the weapon on her back and her most recent exploit of vigilantism.

He didn't know why he was surprised about the criminal activity. There were bandits no matter where he went, including and especially within society. They only went under a different name: criminals. But he understood the distinction despite their similarities.

Bandits followed their own laws. Criminals purposely disobeyed the laws they lived under. The common folk believed bandits were criminals (and they wouldn't be wrong) but even bandits have their own criminals.

While lost in his thoughts, he realized they were approaching the docks. An announcer was heard through the speakers. They would arrive at Beacon's private port within the hour.

He didn't realize he had been clenching against the guard rail until he decided to stand up straight. His hands were shaking. The nausea was returning.

Another trip to the bathroom it was.

0-0-0

They docked and the doorway was flooded with eager students wanting to reach the academy grounds as soon as possible. Excitement was in the air. And as soon as the doors opened, Jaune was the first one out.

…Because he needed to puke into the trashcan he had been eying for the past twenty minutes. The amount of students at his back wouldn't allow him to slip back into the bathroom. Once again they laughed at him as they walked past him.

He waited until the crowds thinned so he could slip back inside the ship and use the bathroom. He needed to clean himself up. Again.

"Nervous, boy?" asked one of the crewmen as soon as he stepped out.

"Something like that," he replied without making eye contact. "Is it really that obvious?"

"You're not the first one to use this bathroom five times," the man assured with a humorous tone. "Nor will you be the last. Every year we get a kid or two who can't keep down their excitement. They all have something to prove and are afraid of disappointing themselves. Try to not let it bother you so much."

"Thank you, mister, but…" he paused as a new wave of fear washed through him. "It's not me I want to disappoint."

"Either way, just do your best," the man said with understanding this time. He had heard this all before. "You were accepted into Beacon Academy! If you've got the grades for it, then you have everything you need to pass the entrance exam. You'll do fine."

The man walked off to carry out his duties after that.

His words made Jaune feel worse.

Regardless, there was no going back. If she ever found out he ran away before he could take the entrance exam… he wasn't sure what she would do to him. Probably worse than whatever he could imagine. And the years had given him a rather colorful imagination.

He stepped out of the ship and headed down the path towards Beacon. It was a smooth cobblestone road with Dust lanterns positioned every twelve feet. There was a crossroads ahead— the left would take him on the road to town while the right took him to another section of the docks. Directly ahead of him was the academy grounds.

Some students had lingered behind. As he walked, he saw an exchange of words he couldn't quite hear unless he forced himself to pry. Heated words, based on the way things were going.

He flinched in shock when he saw one of the girls sneeze and create an explosion. Dust had been waved around and the sneezed had the girl's Aura flare, igniting the Dust just enough to create a chain reaction.

Fortunately the damage was minimal, shallow at best. The other girl, the one covered in soot, yelled a little louder and then stormed off. The first girl tried to apologize but the other girl was already marching towards the grounds. It deflated her and the girl wound up slinking onto the floor, looking up at the sky with hopelessness.

Jaune approached and held out a hand for her.

"Jaune Arc," he introduced with a sympathetic smile.

He registered that it was the same girl in the news report. Dark red hair, ashen skin, and silver eyes. The detail was as relevant as knowing today's weather. He greeted her the same as he would anyone else.

She didn't notice the way his other hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

"Ruby Rose," she greeted back with a friendly smile. She took his hand and he pulled her up. She looked him over, her eyes widened for a moment… and then she gave a single laugh. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

He groaned and pulled his hand free. He looked away from her as his cheeks flushed. "Is that really how I'm going to be known by around here?"

She laughed a little more this time. She couldn't hold it in.

He began to walk down the road. She followed at his side.

"Look," he gestured with one hand while keeping the other on his sword. His mind flashed to the first excuse he could think of. "All I'm saying is motion sickness is a more common occurrence than people let on."

"I'm sorry," she said with the same smile on her face. Still, she meant her words. "Vomit Boy is the first thing that came to mind."

Vomit Boy? Oh great. He even had a nickname now.

"Okay, what if I call you Crater Face from now on?" he gave her a pointed look.

"Hey! That explosion was an accident!" she argued with a flushed face.

"Right, well, the name's Jaune Arc," he waved his hand around for emphasis. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue nicely. Lady's love it."

She snorted while giving him a skeptical look, "Do they?"

"Sure they do!" he puffed out his chest. But then… started to recall a few things. "Half of the time. Sometimes. But that was in Haven! They'll love it here."

Her laughter changed from teasing to friendly. It was light and in good spirits.

Their conversation dropped dead after that. They walked in silence towards their destination.

"So… You're from Haven?" she opened up with.

"Uh… kinda, sorta," his voice dropped in pitch as he rubbed the back of his neck. "My family's from Vale but I, uh, spent a lot of my time with… distant relatives. All over Haven. We moved around… a lot. Though I visited the capital often whenever— n-never mind about me. What about you? You from Haven too or more local?"

"I lived with my dad and big sis in a small cottage in the woods," she spoke without suspecting a thing from him… or chalked it off as him being odd. "I've lived in the Kingdom of Vale all my life."

"Ah, I see," he said.

Once again their conversation dropped dead.

"Soooo…" she dragged out, looking around to think of something to talk about. "I've… got this!"

He almost drew his sword when she reached for the weapon at her back and spun it around. What had been a red compact case had transformed into a scythe longer than she was tall and with an orichalcum blade sharper than any Grimm's claws. She slammed the tip into the street floor.

"Is that… a scythe?" he tested. His hand on his weapon went from lax to tight.

"Yup!" she said with excitement. "It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle."

She demonstrated by lifting her weapon and cocking it. The shaft had been modified to also be a rifle. There was a scope above the grip and a magazine cartridge beneath the upper handle. But as she cocked it, he realized the weapon was now locked and loaded.

"Neat," he said warily, eyeing the weapon and estimating how much damage it could pull. "How much heat does it pack?"

"It uses standard .50 caliber rounds," she said matter-of-factly. "This baby can punch through most Grimm armor. I made it myself. I can't wait to see what sort of upgrades I can make here at Beacon Academy."

She sounded like a girl who wanted to buy her favorite doll a new dress. It was the only reason why he didn't assume his life was in danger. She was only showing off her prized possession.

"What do you got?" she asked as she flicked her weapon around with a masterful stroke. The weapon folded in on itself until it was back in its carrying form.

"I, uh, got this sword," he said after a moment needed to get used to this eccentric girl. He already had a hand on his sword. He drew it out steadily and pointed the tip towards the sky.

"Ooo," she leaned forward and tilted her head back and forth, trying to look at the weapon at every possible angle. "Does it do anything special?"

"…Not really," he admitted with some disappointment. Only some. "It's just a sword. But, uh, its sheath can turn into a shield!"

He tapped on the sheath. It attached to his hand and spread open, becoming a kite shield with his family crest etched onto the center.

"It's been in my family for a long time," he said with pride this time. "It was my father's, and before him my grandfather's. It's saved my life more times than I can count."

She nodded eagerly and with understanding. "Crescent Rose has had my back no matter what. That's the name of my weapon. I… may have gone a little overboard when designing it."

She gave a nervous laugh as she scratched her cheek.

Crescent Rose. She named her weapon. Jaune wondered if the sword and shield had a name. Probably. It's not like he could ask about it, though.

"Wait," something else she said caught his attention. "You designed your weapon?"

"Of course," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Don't they do that in the prepschools in Haven?"

"Uh…" he blanched and looked around as if the answer was floating on a gust of wind.

"Well, I like yours," she said, coming to whatever conclusion she came up with. "Not many people have an appreciation for the classics."

"Yeah…" he muttered while putting his equipment away.

For the first time since today, he didn't place a hand on the hilt. He felt he didn't need to around this girl. She was completely different from the people he lived around. It almost worried him.

"So why'd you help me out back there in the courtyard?" she asked as they began to walk again. She wasn't suspicious of him. She was asking earnestly.

"You looked like you were having a rough start," he admitted after some thought. "'Course it's not like I'm having any better of a day. I also try to make it a habit of helping as many people as I can. My… family frowned on being nice to strangers. They had their reasons but… sometimes people need help."

"Hmm," Ruby gave a nod of appreciation. "Thanks, Jaune. Hey, uh, any idea where we're going?"

Upon asking, he stopped walking to look around. "Not really. I was following you."

"Really?" she blinked at him. "I was following you."

They stared at each other as their words settled. They had reached the campus but had been roaming around aimlessly. They passed through the gates some time ago. However, because of both their incidents did they miss what direction the sea of students flooded towards. There was no one around to direct them either.

"Think they have a directory or… something?" he asked while looking around once more.

She gave another nervous laugh.

"Yeah… I didn't think so."

This time, she laughed at his humor.

0-0-0

After walking around (which became a panicked running in every possible direction), they eventually found the singular place the students and staff were gathering. They both had a good laugh at how they missed it. One of the largest buildings on campus as the grand hall, which was more of an auditorium used to partake in these celebratory events. Such as orientation.

They had thought they were late. Fortunately, the scheduled speech had yet to begin.

"Ruby!" someone called out from one corner of the crowds. "Over here! I saved you a spot!"

Jaune looked and saw a blonde bombshell with lavender eyes. She was the one Ruby had been talking to on the ship and was waving her over.

"Oh," Ruby spun around to face Jaune… while steadily moving away from him. "Hey, I've gotta go. I'll see you after the ceremony!"

"Hey, wait!" he tried to call out to her but she was already gone. He sighed, "Great. Alone again. Without anyone to talk to. No quirky girl to hang out with. Guess I'll just… stand back here."

He shuffled around where he stood, placing one hand at his hip while the other had its fingers drummed along the shaft of his hilt. He looked around, seeing everyone in groups and chatting away. There wasn't any other loner among hundreds of students. Just him.

"You're not planning on using that, are you?" someone asked at his side.

"Huh?!" he jerked from surprise.

"Sorry!" the person said. She put her hands up to ease him. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He looked her over. She was a very pretty girl with a sort of grace around her that both amazed him as well as put him on edge. He recognized the posture and presence of a warrior. Someone experienced in combat that shouldn't be present in this environment.

She had long, wavy red hair that was tied back in a tail, light olive skin, and emerald eyes. She was dressed in mostly leather with the exception of gold grieves, a vambrace on her left arm, and a crowned helm wrapping around her brow to protect her forehead as well as to keep the hair out of her face.

He didn't hear this girl approach. Understandable considering the amount of noise coming from the other students. But he didn't detect her either. He didn't know how she got this close to him without his notice.

"No, it's just… nerves, I guess," he offered while trying to calm his hammering heart. "What was that about using something?"

"Your sword," she said while pointing at his weapon. "You have your hand on it as if you were about to use it."

"Oh, that?" he looked down. His hand was still rested on it. Instead of removing it, he drummed his fingers along it once more. "It's just a habit I do. Keeps me calm. Reminds me that I'll always have this thing at my side when nobody else is around me."

"I see," she said with a softer smile. "You don't seem like a bad person. I wasn't assuming anything wrong. I guess you can say I'm also having a tough time trying to fit in. My open greeting wasn't exactly the best."

He could breathe a little easier. He had disarmed the situation entirely. Thank goodness.

"You? Having a tough time?" he scoffed as he looked her over once more. "You seem a lot more collected than I am. You're not the one who's known as Vomit Boy."

"You'd be surprised…" she said while looking around the crowds.

He didn't want to assume anything. So he shrugged and said, "Well… we misfits should stick together than. I just so happen to have an empty space right here. And here. And here too. Also… here."

She giggled as he pointed to the vast openness around him. "I most graciously accept. Thank you."

"Jaune Arc," he said while sticking out his hand.

She took it but had the expression of someone bracing for impact, "Pyrrah Nikos."

"Nice to meet you, Pyrrah," he pulled his hand free and let it rest on his hip. "And where are you from?"

She looked at him as if he had just sprouted a third arm. The moment came and went as she bounced back, "Vale, mostly. If I'm correct, the Arc family is also in Vale, am I right?"

"Mostly," he returned with another shrug.

"Well, Jaune, it's very nice to meet you," she said with a warmer smile. It was as if a wall had crumbled down. Her warrior's presence softened. He could feel her welcoming nature. In this instant, they were no longer two strangers having a casual conversation.

He had _no idea_ what he had just done. Or how.

But, hey, Pyrrah was pretty cute. Who was he to argue?

There was a buzzing noise of someone tapping on a mic. When his head (and everyone else's) snapped towards the front, he saw two people standing on the stage.

The one at the mic was a man with gray hair. Jaune wasn't sure if it was natural or aged. He assumed the latter due to the man's presence. Though he still looked to be in the peak of his youth, probably around his early or even mid-thirties, he had this aura of maturity and age surrounding him. His eyes were hardened as though he had witnessed all the burdens of the planet.

The fact he leaned on his cane added emphasis to this observation. He looked crippled— not in a physical sense but it was as if his spirit and will had taken such a devastating blow his physical body struggled to keep up.

Still, Jaune hadn't felt this amount of dread and overwhelming authority before. Not even from her. It was as if all his expectations and understandings of strength had been shattered like glass.

"I will keep this brief," the man said in a dispassionate and almost spiteful tone as he looked around the auditorium. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you will dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Jaune could almost feel the sarcasm in those last words.

"But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy," the speaker went on without hesitation. Not even to change his words or pull back the bluntness in his tone. "You are in need of purpose; direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge will only carry you so far.

"It is up to you to take the first step."

Deciding he was finished, he walked off the stage. His steps were slow and steady, matching with the movements of his cane. He kept his other hand at his back.

Jaune knew from the way he walked the cane was just a front. He didn't need it. It could have been a comfort or a misdirection. There was also no doubt the cane was his weapon of choice.

Almost immediate after, the other person on the stage stepped up to the mic. She was a blonde beauty with glasses, light green eyes, wearing a tight blouse, black skirt, and a violet cape with deviled tails at the tip. Everything about her oozed professionalism.

"You will gather in the barn tonight," she instructed. "Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

She walked off after that.

"…That's it?" Jaune slumped as he gawked at the stage. The two… instructors (the term being used loosely) had left through the stage exit.

"I have heard Professor Ozpin is a rather… eccentric headmaster," Pyrrah chose to say carefully. "But he always gets results. They say Beacon is the best school out of all of them for a reason."

 _That_ was Professor Ozpin? He wouldn't call the man eccentric. Ruby was eccentric. That man was just… bored. Detached. Not completely there.

All the stories he had heard about him from her… all that credibility just went out the window.

Well, most of it. The man's presence alone made him question who was truly the strongest being Jaune had come across.

"So, Jaune," Pyrrah spoke up. Her hands folded behind her back as she glanced at him through the corner of her eye. "Do you happen to have any plans right now? Would you care to join me for lunch? I also think they're going to give a tour of the academy."

"I _think_ I was supposed to meet up with a… friend?" he said while looking around. Ruby was around here somewhere.

"O-Oh," Pyrrah sounded off-guard. "I see. No worries then. If you have prior obligations…"

"Lunch _does_ sound amazing right about now," he admitted. His stomach was so empty it couldn't even growl. "Man I'm so hungry I might eat a cow. Do you mind if she tags along? It doesn't hurt to make new friends."

She didn't answer right away. But when he looked at her, she had a friendly smile. "Sure. The more the merrier."

Her eyes didn't match her smile.

"Right where I left him! Jaune!"

Before he could do anything else, Ruby leapt out of nowhere. Being dragged behind her were two other girls.

0-0-0

"This year's candidates seem promising," Glynda Goodwitch commented once they returned to Ozpin's office. She took pride in her work. This place had been a complete disaster when she first started to work as his aid all those years ago. How the man ever got anything done without her was a mystery.

"As promising as they are willing to take themselves, Glynda," Ozpin told her as he gazed out the window that viewed the entirety of the campus grounds as well as the city neighboring. His thumb rubbed against the rim of his coffee mug as he contemplated what he saw moments ago.

"Perhaps, but I don't think that will be much of a problem with this bunch," she said as she pulled out her scroll and went through the records. "We have your favorite, Ruby Rose, as well as Pyrrah Nikos. Some others of worth but I will agree time will determine how far they are willing to go."

Without looking away from the view, he turned his head to ask, "The one in Miss Nikos' company. Who was he?"

Glynda gave him a studious look before adjusting her glasses and skimming through her scroll. She flipped through the records until recognizing the profile picture and transcripts. Her eyes narrowed at the picture. It didn't look standard. The background looked like it had been altered. Wherever the picture was taken, it wasn't from another academy. Already that was a red flag.

"Jaune Arc," she read aloud. "There's no noteworthy history other than high marks in his grades. He passed the written exam without any trouble and has a few recommendations from Haven Academy. Should I contact Professor Lionheart for confirmation?"

"Haven, huh…" Ozpin muttered to himself. "No, there's no need. I was merely asking for curiosity's sake. He reminds me of someone I haven't seen in years…"

Glynda eyed him but didn't comment any further.

He took a slow sip from his mug to drag out the silence. His eyes moved from the wandering specks of black dots down below and up towards the constantly shining moon in the sky and its shattered form.

When he looked at it… the mundane affairs of managing a battle school seemed so trivial.

He flexed his hand— the one holding onto his cane. He was reminded once more mundane affairs were all he could manage right now. There was only so much he could do on his own.

"I would like to compose a list," he said suddenly. "There are a few students I have in mind we will be watching closely through the years. Be sure to give them special attention. And no matter how well they score in the exam, place them one level above their score."

He moved away from the window and went towards his desk.

"Who do you have in mind?" she asked as she readied a blank tab on her scroll. She didn't question his motives. Not after becoming one of his most trusted and learning everything.

He gave her the names.

One of them made her brows crease.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked with a healthy amount of skepticism. She trusted him just as much as he trusted her. But the one name thrown in the middle of the list…

"Quite," he said simply, giving her a wry smile. He knew exactly what she was asking about. "I understand your hesitation. Yes, well, I find when humanity is pushed into a corner do our strongest features come out. Bravery, sacrifice, and hope."

She didn't understand. But she complied anyways and made the list.

0-0-0

 _"Dad? What's going on? Dad!"_

 _"Jaune, look at me. Go back to camp. Find your sisters and go down the path we hiked to get here. Don't try to carry your things. Just get them out of here."_

 _"I don't understand. What's going on?!"_

 _"Jaune… I need you to be brave. I know you're still young. You're only seven. But I need you to be a man. You have your great-grandfather's sword. It's yours now. You are the man of the house. Do you hear me, Jaune? No go. Protect them."_

 _"But! Dad! Where are you going? I can't do this by myself! It's dark!"_

 _"You must! Go Jaune! Now!"_

0-0-0

Jaune leaned against the railings of the balcony as he stared out into the night. It was fortunate he was able to find this place without disturbing anyone else's sleep. He huffed once while adjusting his balance. There was no way he'd be able to go back to bed.

"Trouble sleeping?"

He jerked up and spun around. There she was again, surprising him. Pyrrah approached him in her pajamas— a large shirt and a pair of gym shorts. Her feet were bare, which were even more silent than her heeled boots.

"Sorry, sorry…" she cringed as soon as he jumped.

"No, it's just…" he began but stopped himself. He ran a hand through his hair and turned back to stare off over the balcony. "Nerves are still a little active, I guess. I didn't wake you too, did I?"

The academy had shoved everyone into a single building and expected them to sleep together. On the floor. Boys and girls together. He found a spot on the ground, curled up… and woke up a few hours later. Those sleeping around him hadn't been all too happy.

"I was already awake," she assured. It didn't exactly reach her eyes. He heard her approach this time. He glanced at her as she leaned against the balcony beside him. She was watching him closely, "Do… Do you want to talk about it?"

"Thank you, Pyrrah, but you hardly know me," he sighed. "I really don't want to lay my problems on someone I just met. Seriously, what kind of loser does that? I didn't even buy you lunch today."

She laughed lightly at his attempt of humor, "Well, Jaune, I think it's because we don't know each other is it a good idea to talk. Sometimes people just need a wall to bounce ideas off of. I'm willing to listen if you're willing to share."

He said nothing for the longest moment. He wasn't used to this kind of conversation. He didn't know Pyrrah. Sure, she was a sweet girl and maybe her intentions were true. But…

"It's nothing, really," he put up a smile and laughed as if it were all a joke. "Just a bad dream. I'm still really nervous for tomorrow. I guess I'm just afraid I won't pass the exam."

He didn't look at her. He could feel her gaze at his side, burning through his skin like a microscope under the hot sun. It felt like she was peeling back a layer of himself to see what was underneath. A part of him hated it. A part of him felt guilty for having this girl genuinely worried for him. She didn't know him. She had no reason to.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," she said after the agonizing moment of silence. "You made it this far, didn't you? Just believe in yourself and you'll do fine. You've been trained for this."

His head snapped at her. What she just said…

"Did I say something wrong?"

…No. He shook his head. Her intentions had been sincere. They must have been. Besides, she didn't know anything about him. No one did. She didn't know what sort of training he went through, if it could be called that in the first place. She must be assuming he went through one of the preparatory schools before trying his hand at Beacon.

"No, it's just… never mind," he breathed out and stood up straight. "Thank you, Pyrrah. I think I needed to hear that."

"It's no problem at all," she said with a warm smile. A smile as if they had been friends for far longer than a few hours. She was that kind of person, he supposed. She trusted him immediately without a single shred of doubt.

It had been… a very long time since he came across a person like her.

"You should go back inside," he said as he went back to leaning on the rail. "It's a little cold and you're not dressed for it. I'm going to be out here a bit longer."

"…Alright then," she said after a brief pause. She stepped off but gave him one last look. "Good luck tomorrow. And, Jaune? If you ever want to talk about anything at all, I'm always willing to listen."

"Ditto," he said as he gave her his best smile and a wave.

He turned back to the edge. He felt her linger. He felt her eyes on the back of his head. The moment passed and she went back inside the building.

Jaune wound up watching the sunrise a few hours later. It wouldn't be the first time he pulled an all-nighter.

0-0-0

An hour after dawn, all of the students were split apart into different groups and escorted by at least two teachers to take their exams. When Jaune's name was called, he was astonished to find most of the group featured everyone he had come across yesterday.

That included the lovely and charming Weiss Schnee, one of the girls Ruby introduced to him yesterday but had been distracted by conversation by Pyrrah. It was a rather engaging conversation; no matter how hard Jaune tried to get her attention, she couldn't hear him.

She wasn't ignoring him, right? Nah, he was irresistible!

…Okay, not _irresistible_ but he had his moments.

…Okay, _moment_. Singular.

Weiss was one of a kind. He'd never come across someone like her before. She had snow-white hair tied into a side tail, fair skin, and a pair of icy blue eyes. She wore a white battle dress with red accents. She had this air around her that was so sophisticated. She had expectations and knew they were going to be met. She was just… wow.

She was everything Jaune was not.

Right before the exams could commence, their group of twenty were allowed to use the locker rooms to gear up and do some last minute maintenance. Even Jaune was given a locker… though he had nothing inside of it. Had he known he could have used it, he would have at least removed the chestpiece of his armor. The thing was heavy to wear all day long.

While everyone else seemed to be busy with one thing or another, he chose to sit on one of the benches. He pulled out his sword and tested its edge. It could use a little sharpening but he didn't bring a whetstone with him. Nor did he want to ask for someone else's. It would have to do.

"So Pyrrah."

Like a dog hearing the bell for dinner, Jaune's senses sharpened at the sound of the terrific Weiss' voice. He instantly locked his attention towards her direction. Her locker was right next to Pyrrah's and the two were talking about something.

"Have you given to any thought on whose team you'd like to be on?" Weiss engaged the conversation pretty straightforward. "I'm sure everyone is eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself."

Huh? What? Teams? Where in the world were the formation of teams mentioned? Was there some sort of pamphlet the school was handing out that he wasn't aware about?

Pyrrah shifted around where she stood, bowing her head slightly as she thought. "I'm not quite sure. I was planning on the chips falling where they may."

"I was thinking maybe we can be on a team together," Weiss offered mildly.

"Well that sounds grand," Pyrrah agreed.

"You know what else sounds great?" Jaune said as he cut himself between the two of them. He leaned his shoulder onto one of the lockers and put up a stunning Prince Charming smile for Weiss. "Me. Jaune Arc. Remember me?"

"…You again?" Weiss' joyful mood instantly soured.

"Good morning, Jaune," Pyrrah slid around him to stand beside Weiss. She had a smile filled with sunshine as she waved at him.

"Morning, Pyrrah," he said instantly, almost on reflex. Most of his attention was locked on Weiss. "So, Weiss, couldn't help but overhear your fondness for me—"

"My what now?" Weiss looked at him as if he were crazy. She pressed a hand to her brow, "You've got to be kidding me."

"Don't worry," he shook his head. "No need to be embarrassed. So! Been hearing rumors about teeeaaams~ I was thinking you and me would make a good one. What do you say?"

Weiss was giving him a flat look as she crossed her arms.

"Actually," Pyrrah spoke up, "I think the teams are comprised of four students each so…"

"You don't say," Jaune spun around to give her his full attention. "Well Pyrrah, play your cards right and maybe you can join with the winning team."

He puffed out his chest, stuck his thumb to his chest, and gave her a winning smile as he gave her a wink. He saw it once in a movie and if the rogue cowboy could win the heart of the farmgirl, then it was sure to work on any other girl.

Pyrrah looked like she didn't know how to respond. She must have been stunned by how well it worked.

"Jaune, is it?" Weiss circled around him, stepped between their group, and placed her hands on both their chests to create some space. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

She cocked her head in Pyrrah's direction.

"Oh, yeah," he nodded and answered quickly. "Pyrrah Nikos. Met her just yesterday. I think we hit things off pretty nicely. Hello Pyrrah."

"Hello again," she waved back and in a sing-song voice.

"This is _Pyrrah_ ," Weiss put emphasis on the name. "She graduated first of her class in Sanctum."

"Where?" Jaune looked at Weiss.

She gasped with disgust and rolled her eyes. "She won the Mistral Regional Tournaments four years in a row. A new record!"

"The what?" his face drew in a blank.

Weiss looked at him as if he were a child. As she reached the peak of her frustrations, she stomped one foot down and blurted out to him, "She's on the box cover of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes!"

"Never had it," he shrugged.

"Um… Jaune?" Pyrrah stepped in before Weiss could blow a gasket. She pointed at his chest, "Isn't the emblem on your sweater Pumpkin Pete?"

He looked down and lifted his chestplate over his head. There on the front of his sweatshirt was a cartoon illustration of a bunny rabbit.

"Is that what that is?" he asked aloud before placing his gear back on. "Huh. I needed clothes so that jerk Zain picked it off of a guy… guy, guy, _guy's,_ uh, thrift store. As a parting gift."

Both Weiss and Pyrrah exchanged looks. The former was questioning his intelligence while the latter had a slight look of concern.

"Aren't those things like super rare?" Weiss looked at the sweatshirt again before staring at him straight in the eye. "My brother wanted one of them but the company wouldn't just let us buy it. We had to order fifty boxes of that junk. Only a few were made and collectors have gone crazy in auctions. And you're telling me you found it in a _thrift store_?"

"…Yup," was all he could say.

"Wow, what luck," Pyrrah said, mostly to diffuse the situation. "You never know what you'll find in one of those places."

"So, uh, cereal boxes," Jaune went back to the topic at hand. "Front cover. Don't they do that for famous people and cartoon characters?"

Weiss slapped her palm to her face and shook her head.

"Yeah…" Pyrrah's cheeks flushed as she looked away. "It was pretty cool. Too bad the cereal isn't that healthy for you."

"So after hearing all of this," Weiss butted in with a pointed look. "Do you really think you're in a position to ask _her_ to be in the same team as you?"

Oh, right. They were talking about teams.

"What do you think, Pyrrah?" he asked the girl in question. "Do you think you have what it takes to join Team Jaune? It's a very serious team only the best can join. But I think you qualify if you're on a cereal box."

She giggled and, this time, that smile matched her eyes. "Thank you kindly for the offer, Jaune. I think you'd be an excellent leader. I'll have to check with my manager first for approval."

"Hear that?" Jaune continued with his charade and turned it on Weiss. "Slots are filling up pretty fast. But I think I'll be able to squeeze you in, Snow Angel. What do ya say?"

"I think I've had enough of you," Weiss sighed with irritation. She leaned to the side to look around him. "Pyrrah. A little help please?"

He began to turn to persuade Pyrrah into convincing Weiss to join Team Jaune. He saw something flicker in the corner of his eye. Instinct drove him before he could register what it was.

Pyrrah's weapon, a rifle-spear, had been hurled from where she stood. He only had an instant to react.

His hand whipped around. The sheath had detached from his belt with the sword still sealed within. He used the blunt metal to swipe Pyrrah's shortened spear out of the air. It was deflected to the side and impaled itself into one of the lockers. Had she, a faunus girl, not finished gathering her things then she would have been pierced through.

All conversation within the locker room ceased.

"Pyrrah," Jaune's voice fell flat. He watched her, trying to figure out her next move. She looked stunned, completely surprised by his reaction. She made no move to press on. "What are you doing?"

"I… I'm sorry…" she said while raising her hands to placate him. "I meant to snag the hood of your sweatshirt. I didn't expect you to react like that."

She meant those words. She truly looked apologetic about startling him. He looked elsewhere, trying to replay the instant in his mind. What was the angle _exactly_ when he saw the blade approach?

She was right. The technique would have been harmless. It would have pulled him away from Weiss. That's all she was trying to do.

"Right, well…" Jaune cleared his throat, straightened himself, and placed his weapon back on the slot at his belt. "No harm done. No one's hurt. Just… warn me if you're about to do that again. Um... S-Sorry about that."

The faunus girl glared at him.

"Holy crap!" he heard Ruby from a few lockers down. "Jaune! That was so cool! You were all like _bu-sha!_ "

He felt his face burn as he bowed his head and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't mean to show off. He just reacted naturally.

"Students," a sharp voice cracked through the air like thunder.

The blonde instructor who accompanied the headmaster yesterday marched through the locker room. She eyed the spear still lodged in the metal cabinet before addressing everyone else. "It is encouraged to have spars with your fellow students at Beacon Academy— provided a member of the faculty is present to mediate it.

" _However_ , none of you are students as of yet. I will advise you to keep your hands to yourself from now on or you will be turned away until next year. Miss Nikos, I believe this is yours."

Her arm snapped upright. In her grip was a riding crop. She pointed its flap at Pyrrah's spear. Jaune watched in amazement as the spear was pulled out of the locker and all damages within were sealed shut. The locker looked brand new.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrah said as she accepted her extended weapon. She tucked it away before bowing her head at the instructor. "I went overboard. It won't happen again."

Jaune felt like he should say something. Maybe take some of the blame. But… that teacher _really_ scared him. The look in her eyes reminded him of… her.

Mistakes, excuses, and failures won't be tolerated around her presence.

"See that it doesn't," the instructor said sternly. "Now then. If you will all follow me I will bring you to the examination grounds. The time of preparations is up."

Jaune gulped. A new wave of nervousness washed through him. It was time to take the exam. So far things were going smoothly. None of the staff had approached him about his transcripts. None of them even questioned his history. He could only assume the favor he gained had come in full plus extra.

Now all he had to worry about was passing the exam and getting accepted into the school. He had been put through physical hell. So what if he wasn't trained to be a _proper_ huntsman? If he could survive out there in that hell, then he sure can survive anything some government regulated school can throw at him.

0-0-0

"Wait. What was that part about landing?"

He should have kept his trap shut. Well, he didn't say it out loud. But he should have shoved the thought back down his mental windpipe before the universe could hear it. Out of the hundred gods in all of Remnant, he was sure one of the nastier ones heard him.

Everyone stood on their own square platform. And they were facing the edge of a cliff that had a rather steep drop. Their group's evaluators was the blonde lady (Glynda Goodwitch, he found out) and Headmaster Ozpin. They listened to his speech and his instruction on how to pass the exam.

It was simple. Head north, grab some kind of relic, and reach the end. There was also the mention of Grimm and students shouldn't hesitate… or die.

Simple. Just a normal walk through the woods. Literally in every case Jaune could think about.

But there was one word out of everything that caught Jaune's attention. _Landing_.

He looked around. There wasn't a hill, or a slope, or staircases, or elevators, or even an airship. How exactly were they supposed to get to the bottom?

He really didn't want to know. But ask he did.

Both instructors ignored him. Glynda spoke her next line of a practiced speech she probably had to say every year, "I'm sure many of you have heard the rumor of the assignment of teams. Allow us to put an end your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

A few students groaned and looked at another with confusion. Jaune was among the confused type. Hell, he was still confused about the whole _landing_ thing.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Headmaster Ozpin spoke up as he looked up and down the aisle of students. "So it is in your best interest you pair with someone you can work well with. That being said… the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

There it was again. _Landing_. What did it mean?!

"What?!" meanwhile, Ruby was having a panic attack over the whole partner ordeal. Jaune didn't understand.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation," he went on without a hitch. "But our instructors will not intervene. Are there any questions?"

Jaune raised his hand, "Yeah, um, sir—"

"Good," Ozpin said while looking straight at Jaune. "Take your positions."

Everyone braced themselves as if a meteor was going to come down from the heavens. Jaune flinched and looked to the sky… like an idiot. When nothing happened he tried to press the issue with the Headmaster.

"Um, sir, I have a question."

In the meantime, he heard something at the far end of the line.

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee mug as he eyed Jaune.

"So this… landing strategy," Jaune tried to voice his concerns out to the best of his abilities. "W-What is it, exactly? You dropping us off or something?"

"No," was Ozpin's single and bland answer. Even Glynda was looking at him with a blunt stare. A pitying stare. As if he was in way over his head, they both knew it, and knew nothing could stop him.

More noise came from the left. Jaune saw a flicker of movement.

His eyes widened as he realized the figure being launched forward was one of the applicants. They were being launched off the cliff by the platforms!

He understood what it meant now. But… landing.

"Did you, uh, give out parachutes or something?" he asked out of worry.

"No," Ozpin's tone was still simple and bland. But he evaluated further this time, "You will be using your own landing strategy."

"Uh… huh…" Jaune muttered as his brain felt fried. More students were being launched. It would be his turn soon. None of the other students had gear that would guarantee them a safe landing.

Was it something covered in prepschool?! He didn't learn anything like that! Sure there was that one… okay, four times he was pushed off a cliff. But this is ridiculous! He broke his bones every time! How was he supposed to land _and_ deal with Grimm _and_ achieve the objective?!

He should have stayed in Mistral.

But he didn't want to admit she was right about everything. He refused to go back there and admit defeat. Not after the show he put on for her. Not after years of torment and finally achieving his goal. He didn't want to be her _Jaune-boy_ ever again.

…Plus he was pretty sure she would skewer him.

But first, he needed to figure out how to land… after getting tossed off a hundred foot drop at breakneck speeds.

"Okay, fine, but what exactly is a landing strategy?!"

Something changed in Ozpins stare. Something that made Jaune reel back a little.

"It's rather rudimentary," he began with a sliver of something raw in his voice. "Follow your instincts and rely on your training. Someone with such high marks from one of the most prestigious academies in Remnant would find something like this as child's play. Unless, of course, Mister Arc, there was an error in the transfer of documents? I was under the impression you were among the top of your class."

Jaune swallowed as a pit fell into his stomach. Did… Did Ozpin already know about—

He was not ashamed to have screamed like a little girl when it was his turn.

And he could have sworn he saw the headmaster smirk when he took a drink.


	2. I Put A Spell On You

**AN:** I forgot to mention this in the previous note. Silly because it's actually the main reason why this story exists.

The premise of this story was presented to me by **Noobsaleh** , who also commissioned for it to be a one-shot on my [Pay-tree-on]. The general idea belongs to him while I focused on mostly the storyboard. Originally, it was to involve an OC being a part of Team RWBY(Z) but we took an alternative path. Still, I decided to leave in the OC since I liked his general layout.

Noob, I will be getting back to your message in the near future.

Your reviews have been much appreciated! As well as your criticism! Especially those! It helps me shape the story and correct mistakes I made. And I don't mean just things like Pyrrha's name. Lore, context, structure, etc. It's all appreciated. So keep them coming.

That's all I gotta say for now.

On with the show!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 _ **Because You're Mine...**_

This wasn't the first time Pyrrha had been flung at unbelievable heights and speeds. Compared to leaping out of a carrier at twelve thousand feet above sea, the spring trap Beacon Academy used was lackluster. Almost disappointing. The only thing that made it a little challenging was the lack of a chute. She would have to land by her own merits.

It wasn't so much of a challenge to her as it was a triviality. She already had a plan.

However, not everyone was as skilled as her. Not everyone had the same amount of training. There were plenty of students who had a moment of worry and hesitation, but those washed away as they realized their situations and planned accordingly. Their confidence returned. Only one or two others never lost their composure and knew exactly what to do once they were launched.

One such candidate was flipping around and screaming. His arms were flailing around in a counterproductive effort to stop.

Her lance, Miló, was in her hand. Her back arched and arm reeled in a posture that was as natural to her as breathing. Already she was plotting his flight and the amount of force and aim needed to throw her spear and save his life. A moment's hesitation had her considering whether to follow through or not.

She recognized the student as Jaune.

Though she meant it to be harmless, he had reacted negatively the last time she threw her spear in his direction. If he did something similar, her spear could hurt him or miss him entirely.

"Jaune!" she shouted… and then threw her spear.

Let it be known she warned him.

He continued to flip through the air and arc in an almost unpredictable way. His center of gravity shifted with each tumble. But her aim was true. Miló flew straight towards the perfect position to intercept him.

She may have used her Semblance to adjust the trajectory.

Jaune's attention snapped towards her and saw the spear flying towards him. His hand was on his sword but he forced himself to not draw it out. Her blade snagged onto his jacket and pulled him down towards the forest below. So long as he used his Aura, he should be fine.

"Thank you~" she heard his voice in the distance.

Smiling to herself in both delight and relief, she pulled her shield from her back and readied herself for her descent. Trees rose up quickly as she twisted herself around to alter her own center of gravity and guide her fall no matter how small it might be. The littlest of direction change made the biggest differences, especially with how fast the trees were approaching with branches sharp enough to impale her.

She slipped through one web of branches, plowed through another with her shield, and braced for impact when she aimed at one solid tree coming straight at her.

Her shield, Akoúo̱, crashed through the bark, effectively splitting the thirty foot tall tree in half. The shock jarred her but her Aura absorbed most of the impact. Her speed was significantly reduced and she flipped around for her feet to hit the floor. She rolled forward to minimalize the force and she bounced back to her feet in an instant.

Yet another smooth landing. The first objective was achieved. Now all she had to do was retrieve her spear, find her already determined-to-be partner, and find this relic the headmaster mentioned.

She moved towards the direction she knew Jaune landed. Her eyes shifted through the sea of trees, ears sharp and mind alert. She had already picked up the signs of this being Grimm territory.

There was noise up ahead. Her shoulders relaxed. She recognized it for what it was.

"No! Wait! Come back! I'll call you something else if you don't like Snow Angel! Aw…"

She couldn't hold back the smirk from forming. Stepping through the bushes and around another tree, she saw Jaune slouched where he stood. Towards where he was looking, Pyrrha saw the back of Weiss Schnee huffing and dragging along Ruby Rose by the collar of her hood. Ruby was squealing something about 'bestest friends ever!' as she was being dragged away.

"So Jaune," Pyrrha began as she approached him, hands behind her back and looking up at him from a tilted head. "Is there still room for your team?"

"Well," he cleared his throat, stood up straight, and twirled her spear in his fingers as he faced her. "As it so happens there's an opening at the moment. I think I can squeeze you in."

She giggled as she stepped up to him. He flipped the spear around and extended the butt of it to her. She accepted it, clicked the release, and the spear shrank into a short sword for her to tuck away into her shield.

"Thanks for the save," he said in a more somber tone. "I… wasn't sure how I was going to get out of that one."

"It's no problem," she assured with a friendly smile. "Did none of the academies in Mistral teach you how to secure a landing?"

He scratched the back of his head and looked away, "Uh… no, not really. I must have been sick that day or something. Which makes sense since the number of times I've been pushed off of high places I tend to break a bone or two. They all made it into their pastime."

"That's horrible," she frowned. She wasn't particularly fond of bullies.

"Eh," he shrugged. "It made me tougher. After a couple years I finally got strong enough to knock them around whenever they tried—"

"Years?!" she gasped. "Jaune. _How_ long did they bully you?"

"For as long as I was there…" he said in a distant voice and a long sigh. He looked up at a memory before shaking his head. "Anyways! Are you sure you want someone like me as a partner? We're going to be together for the next four years."

"I'm sure we'll get along just fine. Or are you saying you're unsatisfied with having me as a partner?"

"No! No…" he put up his hands quickly. "I'm just saying… Never mind. So! Shall we be off then? It's not a good idea to stay still for so long. We're kinda in the middle of an Ursa path."

"That's a good idea," she agreed and started to move. He walked at her side.

"Do you think we should meet up with Weiss and Ruby and tell them they're heading west?" he asked with a sideways glance. His eyes were wandering around the forest, checking their surroundings for any other signs of Grimm.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," she replied as she was doing the same, checking her side of the forest. "They're probably finding an isolated area to get to know each other better. The headmaster did say you will be partnered with the first person you make eye contact with. They didn't seem to get along at first but…"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Ruby seems like a nice girl. And Weiss has her standards, I guess. Man, Atlesian girls are a lot different from the ones in Mistral."

"You know, Jaune, I'm also from Mistral," she pointed out.

"Huh? Didn't you say you were from Vale?"

She blushed, "Technically at the time I wasn't lying. I had a private tutor from Signal months before the Beacon test. But I attended a few of the academies across of Mistral. My sponsors wanted me to have as much exposure to different styles and environments as possible."

"Sponsors?" he blinked. "You mean people were paying you to go to school?"

"When you say it out loud, it almost sounds like any kid's dream," she laughed lightly. "But the demands were so much more than getting the best marks in class. I had to perform in local and international tournaments, make public appearances here and there, shake hands with investors and potential suitors, and have to be flawless in everything I do. I wasn't allowed to make mistakes or get upset no matter how stressful the demands were."

"When you put it that way… it kinda sounds like a drag," he muttered lowly.

"I'm sorry," she winced. "I didn't mean to say all that."

"No, it's fine," he shook his head and waved a hand. "I mean, you were willing to listen to me and my problems yesterday. It's the least I can do for you. Besides… we're partners now. I'm sure I would have heard about all of it eventually."

She smiled at that. Yes, Jaune might have been the ideal partner after all. She had been terrified of being partnered to a fan once she stepped onto Beacon's campus. But after meeting with Jaune, who knew nothing about her, he treated her like an equal. And he continued to treat her the same way even when her overly glorified reputation was revealed.

"I can sort of relate," he said after a bit of silence from the two of them. "I wasn't allowed to make mistakes. Mistakes mean you're still weak. And it's the weak who die first."

She glanced at him through the corner of her eye. He continued to search his surroundings, more of an excuse to distract himself than to fulfill its role.

He went on, "When a couple of the guys died when… things just went wrong, I used to get so mad when everyone else laughed at them. They were their comrades, their friends! How could they just laugh at them after getting killed? I didn't understand. And my anger would usually lead me to getting into fights with them. I would always lose.

"It took me a very long time for me to realize they were laughing to hide their pain. They couldn't allow themselves to get upset. Not in the heat of the moment, at least. They would cry when no one was looking. They would fight among themselves once the mission was over. But they would openly mock those that died to remind themselves of their own faults. After all, the guy who just got mauled by a Nevermore could have been anyone else in the party. He made a mistake. They didn't."

Her brows furrowed with concern and… confusion. This didn't sound at all like any of the academies she visited. The students would have been too young to have been exposed like that. Perhaps in the desert wastelands of Vacuo but not in the populated and well-protected citadels in Mistral.

Jaune wasn't faking his emotions or lying. He wasn't exaggerating. His body language told her everything. That and…

A low growl was heard in the distance.

Jaune huffed and stopped walking. A hand went to rest on his sword, "Beowulf ahead. Sorry, I drew it towards us. I'll take care of it."

He said so mechanically, as if it were a burden normally placed onto him. He showed no fear or hesitation at the sign of the monster slowly approaching.

"There's more of them," she said as her ears picked up the noise of prowling steps over leaves and twigs. "Jaune, _we'll_ take care of it. As partners."

He was startled by her words. Almost as if no one else had offered to slay a pack of Grimm with him. He didn't know how to react at first. Eventually, he gave a firm nod and a slight smile.

Grimm, the monsters that plagued all of Remnant. Nobody knew where they came from or the reasons why they preyed upon humanity. Researchers have proven the Grimm do not require sustenance. They have no need to procreate to increase their numbers. They were also almost reckless in their assaults, almost as if they hated humanity just as much as humanity hated the Grimm.

All Grimm were attracted by negative emotions, such as the feelings of anger Jaune had been releasing moments ago.

The ones coming out from behind trees and bushes were classified as Beowulfs. They were wolf-like Grimm with the average size of a grown man. They had the standard characteristics of all Grimm such as the black fur, red eyes, and bone masks and protruding spikes. There were five of them in total.

"Right," Jaune said as he drew his weapon. She did the same. "You take the ones on the right and I'll take the ones on the left. Shout if you need any help."

"To you as well," she said with a bit of laugh in her voice. Just as he was surprised by her words, she had a similar reaction. _No one_ thought Pyrrha Nikos needed help before.

Jaune banged his sword on his shield as he took a few steps away from her. The Beowulfs at the front had their ears perk up. They gave a low growl with one crouching and the other running ahead.

Pyrrha trusted Jaune could handle two Grimm on his own. Before the rest of the pack could join in on the fray, she launched herself forward to flank. Miló spun around and smacked the first Beowulf to disorient it. With another flick, she drove the blade into its side, sliding perfectly between its ribs and puncturing the left lung and heart all in one.

The Grimm wailed before collapsing. Its body was starting to evaporate with black mist rising up. She was moving already.

The second Grimm came at her with a lunge. Akoúo̱ slammed into its face and she pushed herself forward, rising its body onto its hind legs to slip Miló into its hide. It died just as quickly as its counterpart as she kicked it off of her.

But when she moved to suppress the third and final Beowulf on her side, it was already dead.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Jaune whined as he rolled his right shoulder. At his feet was the final Grimm with its head severed from its body.

She looked around and saw the Grimm on his side were fading away as well.

She was… impressed. Her brows shot up to hide behind her bangs.

"Did you pull a muscle?" she asked as she watched him roll his arm around and try to stretch the back muscles.

"No," he shook his head as he used his other hand to rub the shoulder. "Still a little sore when my back hit the tree on the landing. Probably have a big ol' bruise back there."

"You mean… when my spear snagged your hoodie?" she questioned. "Your Aura should have shielded you from that much."

He stopped moving as if realizing something that should have been obvious. He groaned and slapped a hand to his brow, "That. I keep forgetting I have that. I'm still not used to it."

She blinked, "Jaune… are you telling me you _didn't_ use any of your Aura?"

She looked around the field once more. He had taken on three Grimm on his own _without_ Aura. She had been using some of her own to enhance her strength, reflexes, and speed to quell two. And he had managed to beat her… even if it wasn't a race.

And he was potentially injured.

"I'm just not used to activating it," was his excuse. "I spent a long time training without it. It was only unlocked to me… uh, six months ago, I think. Sounds about right. I know _how_ and what it can do. I'm just so used to fighting without it I don't think about it."

But instead of being impressed, she was angry, "Jaune, that's incredibly dangerous. Aura is what gives us an edge over the Grimm. It does more than just makes us stronger and faster than any civilian. It protects us from harm. It guides us like an unseen hand in the face of danger. Without it, you may as well be fighting the Grimm blindfolded and with one arm tied behind your back!"

He avoided her gaze. She might have believed it to be shame but… he only did so at the conclusion of her little speech.

Her eyes narrowed. Surely no school was _that_ irresponsible to allow a hunter-in-training to face a Grimm under those circumstances. She doubted she could pull off something like that. Perhaps one of the best hunters with years of field experience but not trainees like them.

"I'm sorry?" he offered. The words didn't match his eyes.

She decided to not pry. This was their first day as partners and they were still under examination. If they made it out of this, she would have the next four years to figure him out. He was entitled to his secrets, after all.

"Can you use it now?" she asked. "It'll help with the healing process and will alleviate some of the pain. If it's just a bruise, it'll be gone in a couple of hours."

"Yeah, one sec," he said and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and focused. His skin shimmered as a dull light washed over him before flickering out.

She nodded in approval and started to move. He followed. "I don't understand. One of the first things any academy would do is awaken your Aura. Why did it take them so long to do it?"

"Probably just to torture me," he grumbled.

It made her frown. There was honesty in his tone. This went beyond cruelty and bullying. She could understand if some of the other students picked on him. But to get the staff involved as well? Jaune would have been a child when he enrolled into the preparatory school. To not have a child unlock their Aura and learn how to wield it _before_ learning how to fight the Grimm was hazardous beyond words.

The life of a hunter wasn't an easy one. They needed Aura to fulfill physical feats the normal person could never hope to perform. And the sooner a person learned to wield Aura, the better they were at using it.

Pyrrha hadn't needed to consciously use her Aura since she was twelve. It came to her as easy as flexing a muscle. It should be this way with everyone else their age now.

Jaune didn't have any such skill. As they walked, she saw his brows fold as he continuously put in the effort of maintaining his Aura.

Fortunately, where he lacked in Aura application he made up for in every other skill needed in huntsmen. He had been able to spot Grimm tracks as well as slay three of them through normal means. She only wished she took the chance to see how he did it.

They just needed to see if it was going to be enough for them to pass this exam.

0-0-0

"You know what I just realized?" Jaune began as they finished climbing this slope to get a look of the land. "North is a pretty broad term. How are we supposed to find these relics?"

He didn't know what to think of Pyrrha Nikos. She was a gorgeous girl with a wonderful personality to match. And as a huntress she was pretty top notch. There was credibility backing her reputation… a reputation he didn't know about until a few hours ago. Still, she can handle her own against the several packs of Grimm they came across.

After the first pack, though, he knew she was watching him. At first it was as if he was a porcelain doll that was going to shatter. He made sure to keep his Aura activated whenever they needed to fight just to keep her calm. But the watchful gaze of her continued to peer onto his shoulders.

It went from concerned to curious. He didn't want to say she was suspicious of him— Pyrrha was just that nice of a person to think otherwise— but he needed to be careful around her.

Until he figured out how to treat her, most of their conversations fell short. He didn't give anything away like he did in the first hour of the test.

Really, this girl was dangerous. It felt like he could open himself up to her and talk about all his feelings, something that was forbidden from him for years. Anyone who could get under his guard like that was a force to be reckoned with.

"We also haven't come across any of the other candidates," Pyrrha commented. "I know it's quite an expansive forest but… do you think we missed it?"

He could only shrug, "I say we just keep going until we hit something. All I see are trees. Our best bet is the mountains up ahead. Maybe there's a shrine or something at the foot of them?"

"It's as good as a guess as any," she conceded. "I wish we knew what exactly what we were looking for."

"It's probably something we'll immediately know once we see it," he said and gestured for her to follow. The two of them climbed on over to the other side of the slope and slid down on their heels.

Their journey was silent for the most part aside from the mentioning of tracks and sounds of the Grimm. Sometimes they fought them. Other times they avoided them. With the mountains a few miles away, it took them another hour to reach. The sun was past noon.

"…There's a cave," he mentioned when they reached what was basically a dead-end. He was still trying to find the silver lining. They might have overshot whatever it was they were looking for. But it didn't hurt to be optimistic.

Pyrrha didn't comment as she took the first step towards the cave. The path was wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side but he chose to walk behind her instead. If there was something else inside the cave— something they needed to fight— it was better they have more space. And, if Grimm followed them inside and they were cornered, he'd be able to watch their backs.

As they drew deeper inside, the light faded away. Still they pressed on. Eventually, he couldn't see a few feet in front of him but he could still sense Pyrrha by the sound of her footsteps. He knew she was purposely dragging her feet to make noise.

Ahead, he made out a faint light.

"Think that's the relic?" he asked aloud. His voice echoed in the chamber.

"Maybe," she replied back and kept at her usual pace.

They kept going. But as they drew nearer, it wasn't the darkness or the cold that chilled him. It wasn't the wind blowing through that made an eerie sound that crept him out. It was something else. Something unexplainable. A sixth sense gained after finding himself in similar situations.

He knew Aura was this sort of life energy that came from the soul that told him when he was in danger. But he especially knew he was in danger when he was getting the same vibe _without_ turning on his Aura.

"Pyrrha, wait," he said in a hushed tone. "Stop. Come back to me and move slowly."

"…You're right," she said slowly and in a low voice. "Give me your hand. I can't see—!"

The glowing orb yards away from them flared up. A high screech rang throughout the cavern.

A Deathstalker, a scorpion-like Grimm, lay on the other end of the cavern. It rose up onto its limbs. The glowing orb had been the barb of its tail. It had its sights on them.

"Get out! Now!" Jaune shouted and bolted for the exit.

Pyrrha didn't need him to say it. She was already moving at half a step behind him.

The Deathstalker screeched once more. The ground rumbled behind them as he heard the monster rushing after them. He pumped his legs harder. He couldn't fight this creature in such an enclosed space. It had every advantage with its sides walled off and back away from them. Its pincers and tail would tear through them since they wouldn't be able to dodge.

Pyrrha came up to his side. They shared a look before she kept running. In what took him three steps, she had already crossed in ten.

Aura. Right. That was a thing he also had access to.

If that woman ever found out he almost died by a _Deathstalker_ of all things…

He took in a deep breath, drew up the metaphysical power, and pushed himself forward. The wind bit against him as he picked up speed. He was out of the cave and catching up to Pyrrha.

The rumbling of earth wasn't because of the weight of the Grimm. No, the Deathstalker Grimm was too big to fit within the tunnel they entered through. The quakes were caused by its unrelenting charge as it burrowed through the rock. Jaune kept running, knowing in a matter of seconds it was going to—

He ducked his head while continuing to run as some divine intervention warned him a rock was sailing towards him— his Aura, he acknowledged and silently thanked. The Deathstalker had broken through the entrance and sent rock exploding everywhere. It took a moment to adjust to the brightness of the outside world before setting its sights on them.

Jaune stopped running and drew his sword and shield. He faced the monster with the shield raised just below eye level and sword pointed outwards at his side. He lowered his stance, ready to move in any direction depending on how the Deathstalker approached him.

"Jaune, you're going to fight it?" he heard Pyrrha call out in the distance. She had kept running and sensed his lack of presence behind her.

"It'll chase us down no matter where we go," he shouted back, unwilling to look away from the Grimm. "We stop it now before we exhaust ourselves."

The Deathstalker was the size of a Bullhead carrier. It would plow through the field of trees just as easily as it had burrowed through solid rock. Its stamina was ridiculous and they would sooner exhaust themselves, Aura or not, before it did. The best way to take care of this thing was to go at it as soon as it was spotted. He would have preferred to have taken it by surprise but that option was out the window.

The tail reeled back as its pincers clacked.

He leapt to the side just as soon as he saw the tail twitch. An instant later and the barb would have skewered him. He withheld from trying to slice off the appendage since it was extended and within his reach. As soon as the tail was withdrawn did the Deathstalker try to clip him with one of its pincers. Had he struck, he would have been dead.

His shield was raised to block most of the blow. Instead of bracing (or even using his Aura to shield himself), he leapt off his feet and pushed himself away from the monster. He flew back a few yards before sliding on the grassy terrain.

His sword flicked around in his grip. He was ready to strike when needed. But just as he was looking for an opening, so too was the Deathstalker. It wasn't going to try to attack him now that it knew he could defend himself.

A great wind rushed by him. It took him a blink to realize the blur of gold and red had been Pyrrha. She blew by him so fast he almost didn't recognize her.

The Deathstalker sent one of its pincers at her, trying to pluck her from her path. Pyrrha raised her shield and slid it against the side of the pincer. She didn't falter at all by the impact and continued to travel forward. When inside its guard, she drove her spear around in a series of stabs.

The Grimm wailed in pain but the wounds were too shallow. Despite her speed, she couldn't pierce deep enough to leave any critical damage.

A Deathstalker had a really dense outer shell of a body— that not including the bone plating armor coating its pincers, its head, and the spine running all the way up to the tail. They needed something more than blades to get through it. They needed blunt force trauma… or a big enough explosion to rupture its organs.

It struck at Pyrrha in retaliation. She flipped around, bouncing from heel to heel as she danced away from each of its swipes. Each pincer and tail failed to hit her as she dodged and parried with superhuman feats.

She tried to strike back at it. But, like her first attempt, her blade couldn't get all the way through. It was as annoying to it as a cat's claws. There was enough to draw some blood— _some_ — but nowhere enough to kill it.

"The joints!" he shouted. "Go for the joints! That's where its armor is at its weakest!"

While its shell was dense, it wasn't flexible. There were gaps in its armor where each appendage had to move. And it was there that lay its greatest weakness.

Pyrrha stepped inside in a flash. Her spear became a sword and she slashed around with both hands across its left arm. Black blood gushed out as her blade cut deeper than it had previously. The Grimm shrieked in sharp pain.

It didn't like it. Her attack angered it. It brought its other pincer around.

Pyrrha brought up her shield at the last moment. The blow knocked her off her feet and sent her _through_ the first three trees before bouncing off the floor and slamming onto a fourth.

"Pyrrha!" he shouted in worry. A blow like that would have killed anyone else he knew. It was her Aura that saved her.

Angry as its blood dripped onto the grass, the Deathstalker charged to finish the job.

"You stay away from her!" he bellowed and ran after it. But no matter how fast he ran, the Deathstalker was faster. It was out for her blood. The way he was now, he wouldn't be able to stop it.

He stopped and sheathed his weapon. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He called upon his Aura and focused it. There was only one way he could stop the thing from harming Pyrrha.

His body shifted in a way that was almost unnatural to him. His stance was one he never assumed. His muscles coiled in a way he hadn't before. And his mind recalled a style he hadn't been taught.

All he could imagine was… _her_.

When he opened his eyes, Aura blazed through his body as though fire flowed through his veins. He launched forward, flying through the field faster than his mind could register the objects he passed through. His sword was drawn, flashed, and sheathed all in quick succession.

By the time his feet hit the ground and halted his acceleration, his Aura had sunken back into his core. And the only noise he heard throughout the forest was the agonizing scream of the Deathstalker.

He didn't need to look to see it had lost its left appendage. He knew he had struck exactly where Pyrrha had and cut cleanly through with no resistance. He knew because _she_ would have.

While the monster was distracted, he rushed over to Pyrrha.

She was already up on her feet and recovered enough for another bout with the beast. She was jarred from the attack but whatever she went through before this exam had trained her to ignore pain and focus on the task at hand.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along as he ran.

"We need to move!" he explained. She stumbled at first in surprise but followed easily. "All I did was piss it off! It's going to go into a frenzy once it comes to its senses! That thing is more dangerous when unpredictable and I don't want to be near it if I can!"

Look at him. _Running_. She would have done more than scold him for this. She would have grabbed him by the collar and flung him back at the Deathstalker.

But she wasn't here. And he sure as hell didn't want to deal with another frenzied Grimm. Those things fought worse than they normally would when they were pissed off. It was almost as bad as when they were on the verge of death.

He held his breath as he forced himself to use his Aura as they ran. His speed picked up and he rushed through trees. In a matter of seconds, the Deathstalker's wailing was a distant almost unrecognizable noise.

Let it be known running and holding one's breath was a terrible idea. Once they were out of the Deathstalker's detection, he panted to catch his breath, swayed where he stood, and collapsed as black washed over him.

0-0-0

 _"You lot always make such a racket when you return to camp. What did you drag in this time?"_

 _"Boss. It's this kid. He was carrying this."_

 _"Give that back! It's mine!"_

 _"…"_

 _"Er… Boss?"_

 _"It's nothing. Boy, what are you doing all the way out here? And with this of all things."_

 _"Grimm. Please! You're a huntress, aren't you? Grimm attacked my family's cabin! You have to go save them!"_

 _"Do I? The last time I checked, I don't have to do anything for anyone but myself. Least of all fight for those too weak to save themselves."_

 _"Weak? They're my sisters! None of us are hunters! My daddy told me to protect them and they told me to run and I—"_

 _"Quiet."_

 _"…"_

 _"So… Boss? What'cha wanna do with him? We found him too close to camp to let him go."_

 _"My sword. It's a family heirlu… heirblue… It's treasure! It's yours if you save my family!"_

 _"…What's your name, boy?"_

 _"Jaune. My name is Jaune Arc."_

 _"Arc… Well…"_

 _"Boss…?"_

 _"He seems close to Spring's age. Put him in the same cage as her. Maybe someone she can talk to will do her some good. Tell the rest of the men to pack up. We leave tomorrow."_

 _"Aye. C'mon, brat."_

 _"Wait! Wait! Please! What about my family? You have to save—"_

 _"Your family is dead, boy. They were too weak to survive. But you did. Now, whether that makes you lucky or clever, we'll see. Until I know for certain, I'll hold onto this for you. And if you fail to impress me, then I see no reason to keep you around. Get comfortable; you'll be with us for some time."_

0-0-0

"Are you feeling better?" Pyrrha asked as she stroked the hair out of his face.

"…Am I dead?" he asked as he blinked back into consciousness. He was looking up at Pyrrha from an odd angle. Half of her face was hidden by her chest while something soft kept his head raised. Her hand continued to stroke against the ridge line of his hair.

He deduced this was the legendary thigh pillow the guys in camp mentioned a few times. Jaune didn't think he'd ever know this feeling. When he asked for this request from some of the girls… they beat the shit out of him.

"No," she answered in a light tone and a few girly giggles.

He had so many mixed feelings about this he couldn't bask in the moment. He sat up and she didn't stop him. Nor did she smack him around like all the other females would have. Pyrrha wasn't that type of girl, especially when he knew she did this of her own volition. It's not like he passed out on her lap in the first place.

He looked up at the sky. The sun was blocked by the swaying leaves of the trees.

"How long was I out?"

"Just a few minutes," she answered. Her voice was tense. "I was worried you were poisoned by the Deathstalker while I wasn't looking. I checked but there weren't any wounds."

"Ah, yeah," he scratched at the back of his head while purposely not looking in her direction. "I was trying to focus on my Aura so much when running away I, uh, kinda forgot to breathe."

There was a long silence. So long he was tempted to look at her but feared what kind of expression she would have. He felt her gaze at the back of his skull.

"That's a very poor habit," she chose to say after some time. "Did no one at all teach you how to wield your Aura?"

"I got the general idea," he said as he stood up. He heard rustling behind him; she stood up with him and stepped close, probably in case he got woozy or something. "I was taught to fight first without a safety net. My Aura was unlocked only because I proved myself. Using it goes against my habits so it's been a real struggle getting accustomed to it."

There was another silence between them.

"The person who taught you how to fight…" she began in a hesitant voice. "Was she a katana wielder?"

…She? How strangely specific. No, it was probably just a habit of hers. It wasn't the first time he's heard women specifically use the female pronoun to describe an anonymous entity. The city girls in Haven were _really_ prickly about using it.

"Yeah, how'd you guess?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder.

"It was just the way I saw you use your sword in that last move," she admitted with a shrug. "The style is fit more for a katana wielder. It's not suitable for your straight sword but you managed to pull it off. And it was so different from the style you've been using the entire time I would have believed you were someone else."

"Ah, yeah, that," he nodded and faced her. He patted the pummel of his sword, "I picked up that style right after I… I, I, I, uh, well, right after I unlocked my Aura."

He coughed and looked away. His face felt like it was on fire.

She noticed his strange behavior but didn't comment about it. "Really? Is that your Semblance?"

"My what?" he questioned with an honest tone.

"Your Semblance," she repeated. When he drew a blank, she explained patiently, "It's the manifestation of a unique power that comes from your soul. Everyone's is unique because there are no two of the same person. Some are able to turn invisible, or talk to animals, or even predict the future."

"Oh," his eyes grew wide with understanding. "You mean like your ability to alter the course of your spear?"

Was he not supposed to have noticed the way her spear had changed trajectory midflight? Just because he was spinning around enough to make him sick didn't mean he hadn't been aware of his surroundings. The way she was looking at him told him he had caught her off guard.

"Polarity," she said in a simple voice, almost reluctant. "My Semblance is to control the polarity of objects. Yes, I manipulated my spear to make sure it would land without hurting you. I think it's fair for you to know about me since I was asking about yours. Some people find it a sensitive topic."

"We're partners," he shrugged. "If we're fighting together then I think it would be better if we know about the other's strengths and weaknesses. That way we can watch each other's backs and improve our chances of survival."

She smiled warmly at him as her eyes softened. Her shoulders relaxed. The sight of her looking at him like this nearly knocked the breath out of him.

He coughed into his fist, "Right, so, Semblance. Mine is… well, there's a really long and complicated name for it but when you get down to it… it's basically the transferring of Aura."

Her eyes glowed with fascination, "How do you mean?"

"For starters, I can transfer my Aura to someone else to heal them," he spread his arms out in a casual shrug. "A person can heal naturally on their own if they use their own Aura, yeah, but lethal wounds will still kill the guy. But if I mix my Aura with theirs, it kicks up the healing process. Some fatal wounds can be turned around. Still can't replace lost limbs though."

Or disembowelment, decapitation, and being crushed into powder via a giant rock. Some things _can't_ be healed.

"That's amazing, Jaune," Pyrrha's eyes were wide with amazement. It made something warm flow through his chest. Her eyes shifted to one of concern in the next moment, "But, wouldn't cause a burden on you? You're using your own Aura."

"I haven't had a problem so far," he admitted with another shrug. "I was told I had more Aura than I knew what to do with."

"Does that mean you can take other people's Aura as well?"

The question caught him off guard. "Huh?"

"You said you learned to wield a katana after you unlocked your Semblance," she explained. "If your Semblance is to transfer Aura between yourself and someone else, how did you learn someone else's fighting style?"

"Oh, uh, well, that, uh…" he had to look away. No, he couldn't match Pyrrha's gaze. He couldn't even look at her. The memory of how he found this particular perk of his Semblance blazed at the surface of his mind and wouldn't let go.

"Jaune… if I gave you my Aura, could you fight like me?"

The question was so sudden, and so innocent, they had struck him like a physical blow. He was caught off guard and stumbled back, tripping over a root and falling flat on his back.

"Jaune?!" Pyrrha approached him but didn't go near. Her face was full of worry. "Was it something I said?"

"No!" he said a little too quickly. He jumped to his feet and patted off the dirt from his jeans, putting exceptional focus into the task to prevent himself from looking at her. "It's just _really_ complicated and I don't think it's a good idea to try it in the middle of a forest infested with a bunch of Grimm."

"That makes sense…" she muttered thoughtfully as she looked around.

Oh. Good. She bought it. Well, he wasn't wrong. Trying the whole transfer process would have taken time and he wasn't going to do _that_ where they stood.

He was right. Pyrrha was dangerous. Too dangerous for him to lower his guard around.

"Don't worry, Pyrrha," he said before she could ask any more embarrassing questions about him and his Semblance. "All you need to worry about is if you get hurt, I'll patch you back up. And if your Aura starts to run low, I'll top you off."

"Thank you, Jaune," she said with a smile. "But I'll still be trying to avoid getting hurt as much as possible. I appreciate the thought, though. Are you feeling better? Enough to carry on with the exam?"

"Oh, yeah," he nodded and rubbed a hand through his face. "The exam. You know, I almost forgot about that thing. I'm fine. Just forgot to breathe is all. Won't happen again."

"Just… be cautious," her eyes were pleading with him. "Jaune, we can't leave that Deathstalker alone. But I'm not sure I'll be able to do it alone. We should find other students to help us."

"I disagree," he said with hand wrapped around his chin. When her brows furrowed, he elaborated, "I've dealt with a Deathstalker before. We just cut off one of its limbs. It would have lost a fair amount of blood."

"All we did was make it angry," she said, using the same words he had for their retreat. "Now that it knows we can hurt it, it's going to be cautious. It'll be foolish to try and take it on by ourselves."

He wanted to keep arguing and say he had been forced to fight one by himself. But it wasn't productive to fight against her when they were supposed to be a unit. Little disagreements like this tended to linger in the back of the mine and take affect at the worst convenience. It would break apart what little teamwork they had been trying to establish.

A compromise came in the sound of something high above their heads. The trees blocked his view of the sky but he didn't need to look to see what it was.

"I have an idea…" he began, dragging out his tone to test her reaction.

She eyed him warily but… "I'm listening."

0-0-0

"Round Two you great big stupid thing, you!" Jaune shouted as he leapt out of the trees and dashed forward.

A clearing had been made from where they left the Deathstalker. It had thrashed around in pain or in an attempt to clip them if they were hiding. It hadn't tired itself out; Deathstalkers were known for being pretty tanky. It had been trying to extend its senses to find them.

Hence why he shouted as soon as he popped out. There was no point in trying to ambush this thing if it had been searching for them all along. Plus, Grimm had this innate ability to know when and where negative emotions were.

He caught its attention, hopped over a few downed trees, and ran along its right flank. It would be more cautious than ever now that its left arm was severed. Running along the right would limit its attacks since the remaining appendage couldn't bend backwards to reach him.

But the tail could. It lashed out at him. One strike he had been able to dodge. The second struck his shield and knocked him off balance, only for him to roll and keep going. The third time had him swiping at it with his sword. It wasn't enough to get through as sparks lit up upon contact.

The Deathstalker was getting agitated. It continued to follow him, turning its body around faster than he could run. In a few seconds it would be facing him and be able to use its pincer.

Step One of Plan Sky Burner was complete!

Initiating Step Two!

Pyrrha shot out of the woods like a bullet now that the monster was facing away from where she crouched. She sped towards its wounded side and brought her blade around to hit the gaps in its shell and spill as much blood as possible. The Deathstalker wailed in surprise and pain; she broke off and ran around to remain in its blind spot when it tried to find her.

Jaune used this chance to do the exact same thing as she; he let out a war cray as he rammed his blade into the side of the scorpion Grimm. With his Aura active, he had been able to reach all the way to the hilt.

The Grimm let out a sharp scream. It ignored Pyrrha and went back to him. He didn't try to hide himself as he retched his sword out of its side. But he continued to stay out of the range of its pincer.

It shuddered with outrage and stopped turning. It wasn't going to play this game with them. It began to slam and flail its tail around aimlessly. It knocked aside trees and shattered boulders. Its pincer came up and punctured the ground hard enough to blow up clouds of dirt.

Step Two complete!

"I got it!" he shouted.

Step Three initiated! He found his opportunity. When the barb landed at the perfect distance (not too close to shake the ground and not too far to be out of his reach), he flung himself on it and held on tight. The Grimm immediately felt him on it. It didn't fling its tail around like before.

Instead, it was trying to get him off of it.

"Jaune!" he heard Pyrrha as he was being tossed around. He held onto the thing like a monkey on a tree, both arms and legs wrapped around it. "This idea is crazy!"

"Then why did you agree to it?" he shouted. Oh Gods. If this kept up he was going to be sick.

"I didn't! You took off before I could give you a response!"

Ah. Her stunned silence after he finished concocting this plan hadn't been out of amazement. It had been out of bafflement.

In lapses where the Deathstalker reached a pause in each of its swings, he kept his eyes locked on the sky. He only had a flash moment before it tried to swing him off. But he could see it.

Over in the distance and in the sky was a Nevermore. A _really_ big Nevermore that was fully grown and had to be a good thirty or so years old. It was a giant crow-like Grimm that was in equal size and measure as the Deathstalker.

"Come on you stupid thing," Jaune growled as he rammed his sword into the gap of its bone plating. "WORK WITH ME!"

It wailed and jerked its tail around in pain. But not in the way he wanted it to. He stabbed his sword into it again. This time it swung hard enough for him to lose his grip on his legs. He almost let go but reinforced his grip. One last stab; and he made sure to jiggle the sword around.

The tail reeled back, low enough for it to be level with the ground. He sheathed his sword.

"Be right back!" he gave Pyrrha a winning smile. "Begin Step Four!"

"Wait! What was—"

The Deathstalker had enough of him. It launched him up into the sky with all its might like a catapult.

Step Three complete! Now to complete Step Four!

…So long as the Nevermore didn't alter its course at the last instance.

He didn't think about what would have happened if he missed. This was worse than the jump pads earlier. He wasn't sure if Pyrrha would be able to spear him again.

Everything was going according to plan. He approached the Nevermore as it continued to fly its course. He was approaching fast. Maybe a little faster than he had anticipated. But it worked in his favor— the Nevermore saw him rapidly approach. Its wings fluttered to either intercept him or to move out of the way. It didn't get the chance.

He braced for impact, summoning his Aura to shield him as his face slammed straight into its breast. Even the beast was jarred. He felt the thing recoil.

He didn't get a chance to shake the stars out of his eyes. Instinct took over as he grabbed onto the Grimm. His hand grabbed onto feathers as large as his sword and almost as sharp. So long as he focused on his Aura, they wouldn't cut into him.

…Except the feather in his right arm popped out. Out of all the feathers he had grabbed, this one had been old and ready to fall at any instance. With his grip lost, he began to swing on his left hand. And before he could steady himself or grab onto anything else, the stupid bird jerked around.

His hand slipped and he began to fall.

Plan Sky Burner had failed!

He let out a scream.

…And continued to scream even as something had snagged onto his ankle.

"JAUNE?!"

He opened his tightly shut eyes and looked down his leg. Staring back at him was Ruby Rose, who was holding onto his ankle and jean cuff with both her hands. And holding onto her was Weiss Schnee, who was trying to keep Ruby from dropping by her hood and one arm wrapped around the Grimm's talon.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Us?!" Weiss barked with her face flushed. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"It's a long story…" Ruby offered with a frightened smile.

"It usually is," he shrugged. "Hey, can you do me a favor and swing me back on?"

"Shouldn't we pull you up?" Ruby asked as she glanced over her shoulder.

"Losing my grip here!" Weiss shouted back.

"I need to get to the top of this thing," Jaune pointed at the Nevermore. "It's all a part of Operation Sky Burner!"

"Go find your own Nevermore! We found this one first!"

"Roger that, Special Operative Arc!" Ruby's eyes lit up as she understood. He felt she would have saluted if she wasn't using both arms. She nudged her shoulders and wiggled her hips, trying to build up momentum.

"Ruby Rose don't you dare start swinging! I swear I will drop you!"

Weiss said that but held on strong, even when her face was turning red with exertion. After a few times, Ruby had been able to get him back onto the breast of the beast. Jaune had been able to grab ahold of the damn thing and refused to let go.

"Thanks girls! Make sure to hold on tight!"

"Anytime, Jaune!" Ruby waved at him.

"I'm dropping you the next time!" Weiss said and started to pull Ruby back up.

Jaune went back to his task. Too much time had been wasted as he left Pyrrha alone with the Deathstalker. He believed in her. She had a good head on her shoulders and he had seen some of her skill. She would be able to survive until the next stage was complete.

He climbed as quickly as he could, making sure the bunch of feathers he grabbed onto wouldn't fall out this time. Some did, to which he was thankful to be testing them before putting most of his weight on them. Fortunately the coat around the Nevermore was thick enough to have not noticed his movements. That, and the buffing of wind constantly shaking them helped to hide him.

He reached around the beast's neck to climb up onto its back. His knelt down and held onto a bundle of feathers with his off hand before drawing his sword.

Step Four complete! Step Five start!

He drove the blade into its back.

The Nevermore jerked violently. He distinctly heard the girls shriek with alarm.

"I need you to turn around!" he shouted at the monster and wiggled his sword around.

It was only through coincidence that it listened. It flipped around, trying to throw him off its back. But the angle wasn't right. He pulled out the sword and drove it back in. It screeched again and twisted its body in the air. This time it was a little closer to target but not quite.

He looked down. His eyes scanned through the sea of green until he found a great scar on the land that was only growing larger. Just like he had planned! Pyrrha was drawing the Deathstalker back towards the mountains.

Now he needed to make sure the damn bird would take him back to her.

He pulled his sword out and tried another spot. This time he drove it near the wing.

The beast dove straight down, barreled around, and jerked back up. He was almost thrown off when his hand pulled the bundle of feathers out of its skin. Only his sword lodged into the Grimm kept him from flying off.

This was good. Very good! It was heading towards the Deathstalker!

Once the creature stopped shaking, he pulled his sword out. He didn't try again as he waited. The monster didn't jerk another time. It seemed to believe he was off since there was no more pain. It craned its head around but couldn't spot anything. After all, he was crouched low and hidden behind its blind spot.

He shut his eyes and focused on his Aura. He focused on his Semblance.

Someone else's Aura answered his call. His body tensed with muscle memory not belonging to him. His grip on his sword changed. Pyrrha had been right; this style wasn't built for a straight sword. His grip felt unwarranted but the level of skill behind it told him it would still be competent with this weapon. Hell, it was already better than how he was now.

 _Her_ technique was executed.

In another flash of steel, his blade was sheathed and the right wing of the Nevermore was severed.

The beast let out a mind-numbing, deafening shriek as it began to fall out of the sky.

0-0-0

Pyrrha landed face first into the dirt as she was knocked out of the forest. For a moment, she just wanted to lay there and not get up. It was too early. She wanted to change into her pajamas, snuggle up in a warm blanket, and go back to bed.

Her low Aura reserves might have given her a concussion.

The earth rumbling beneath her and an outraged wailing from the forest demanded she get up. She permitted herself a grunt of exhaustion as she rose to her feet, one leg at a time and using Miló as a crutch. She stood tall, shook off the dizziness with a few blinks, and readied herself for another bout.

The Deathstalker broke out of the trees. She had done a number on it since Jaune was flung. Blood dripped down from it, its mask was cracked, and she had been able to sever one of its legs. But, no matter how great of a fighter she was now, she wasn't strong enough to solo a Deathstalker. She needed her partner.

If they had continued to harass its sides with hit and run tactics, this creature would have died by a thousand cuts. She had no idea what he was thinking what that… _plan_.

A sharp sound from the sky took her eyes off the Grimm for a moment.

The Deathstalker didn't attack her when it should have. She had been distracted; it was the perfect chance! Instead, something akin to curiosity went through it. It turned its body around towards the sound.

"AIR DROP COMING IN!"

…That was Jaune's voice.

"WE'RE GOING DOWN!"

"JAUNE ARC I _WILL_ EVISCERATE YOU!"

She also recognized the voices of Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee.

Her arms fell to her side as she was left dumbfounded. Her slackjawed mouth was registered in the back of her mind. She watched as the giant Nevermore Jaune had been aiming for started to spiral out of control and fall towards her. It only had one wing to sustain itself but it was falling fast.

She didn't know how. But Jaune had someone managed to pull it off.

The Nevermore crashed down right on top of the Deathstalker. An explosion of dirt flew up and splashed on her face. She brought up her shield and turned her face around.

Something slammed into her with a great enough force to knock her off her feet. The world spun as she bounced and tumbled around on the ground a number of times. She had been forced to let go of Miló as this uncontrollable motion threatened the blade to cut into her.

Eventually, the tumbling stopped.

She landed on top of Jaune.

"Hey… Pyrrha," he said with that goofy smile of his.

"Jaune…" she sighed with frustration, exhaustion, and acceptance in the fact all of this had been out of her control.

"I'm back," he laughed.

"Yes. You are. Welcome back."

It took a lot more effort than she wanted to get off of him. In fact, she had to roll off of him. She needed a moment to catch her breath and let her tired muscles relax. He sat up to join her.

She raised a hand and examined it. There was a faint shimmer before blinking out. Her Aura was depleted. Jaune's crash landing had taken out what little she had left.

Dust lingered in the air but enough had been cleared for her to see the wreckage. Her brows rose to hide behind her bangs. The collision had been so great there was now a crater under the two large Grimm. The Deathstalker's bone plating had shattered with half of its body crushed. And the Nevermore had its upper body bent in an unnatural way.

They were both dissolving into nothingness.

"Mission Sky Burner is a complete success!" Jaune said with a broad smile and fists on his hips. He continued to sit at her side.

"…Why Sky Burner?" she questioned with a sideways glance. "I understand the 'Sky' part but nothing was on fire."

He looked at her and raised a finger, "That's not true, Pyrrha. _I_ was on fire. Did you not see me ride on the back of that Nevermore?"

She wasn't sure whether she should laugh, scold him, or sigh.

"Oh," was her response as she looked away.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said in a softer tone. "I'm sorry it took so long to get back."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling, "Thank you for returning. I wouldn't have been able to defeat that Deathstalker by myself."

They sat in silence as they watched the black carcasses slowly dissolve into smoke and mist.

"JAUNE ARC!" Weiss shrieked from the other side of the crater. They watched as the petite girl stomped her way towards them. Her fists shook and shoulders were squared. Her immaculate white dress was ruined with tears and dirt. "I have a bone to pick with you!"

"Oh, hey, Weiss!" he jumped to his feet and gave a delighted smile as if he had nothing to worry about. Including the wrath of a woman whose wardrobe had been tarnished.

Pyrrha sighed and stood, albeit much slower than Jaune had been able to. While he hadn't been the one getting smacked around by a Deathstalker, his landing hadn't exactly been smooth. Even with Aura shielding him, he shouldn't be able to get up so quickly. He was either hiding his pain to impress Weiss or…

"Don't you 'hey Weiss' me!" the girl stepped up to him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "What were you thinking when you dropped that Nevermore out of the sky _with us on it_?! Is there a brain between your ears or is it just empty air?!"

Pyrrha saw in the distance Ruby getting back onto her feet. She stumbled around with her eyes spinning. The girl gripped her head as if it would help her equilibrium. She ended up falling onto her hands and knees and holding onto the ground as if she were about to float up into space.

"I was thinking about landing it on top of the Deathstalker," he kept smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. "Originally I was going to have them fight each other and we take out whoever survives but, hey! They're dead! It's a win-win!"

Weiss didn't say anything at first. Her body shook… and then exploded.

The words coming out of Weiss Schnee's mouth made Pyrrha flush. She went off on Jaune, using a broad orchestra of vocabulary that made her head spin. Jaune didn't take it any better. He leaned away from Weiss, who only pushed herself further in.

Jaune looked at her. His eyes were pleading with her to help him.

Pyrrha looked away, pretending to have not seen him. The things Weiss was saying were the thoughts Pyrrha had about his gung-ho operation.

"Okay, okay!" he begged and put up his hands as Weiss went on. "I'm sorry!"

"You think that makes it all better?!" the girl gasped, only to catch her breath after that long… opinionated lecture. "You almost got us all killed!"

"No one was harmed," Pyrrha stepped in this time. "I think we can let it go. We're all alive and the Grimm are dead. Jaune apologized. And I'm sure he won't be doing anything like that again. Right, Jaune?"

She gave him a flat look. Hopefully he would take a hint.

"R-Right…" he averted his gaze from hers. "Any plans I have in the future will be discussed with my teammates."

Good. Message received.

Weiss huffed and shook her head with one hand planted on her brow. "Fine. I will let this go. But I swear to you, Jaune Arc, if you ever get me or any of my teammates involved in something like that again, you will be having a word with Myrtenaster."

She tapped the rapier strapped to her side.

He nodded vigorously.

"Good," she flashed him a smile before turning sharply on her heels (slapping him with the tail of her hair) and graced away towards the still-fumbling Ruby.

Jaune slouched where he stood, suddenly looking just as exhausted as Pyrrha felt. "Man. It's like Fate is working against me. Why can't I have a nice conversation with her? Thanks for having my back anyway, Pyrrha."

"I think you've learned your lesson," she mentioned. "But I mean it, Jaune. Don't just take off on your own like that again. I will admit I am… surprised your plan worked. But if it hadn't, you could have been seriously hurt."

She chose to not mention how she would have been alone.

"You're right. I'm sorry. We should catch up with those two. Maybe they know where the relics are? I also kinda want to know what they were doing on that Nevermore."

In all the commotion, she had forgotten she was in the middle of an exam. Fighting for your life tends to do that. She agreed with him and took a few steps forward.

Her right ankle gave out and she stumbled forward.

"Hey!" Jaune was there to catch her. "Pyrrha, you alright? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"Just a little tired, I guess," she gave him a disarming smile to ease his concern. She didn't want him to worry over her. "My Aura is a little low but I'm fine."

"You know, if you want, I can give you some of mine," he said as he helped her steady herself. He stepped back but remained close enough in case she would fall again.

"I'm fine," she urged. "I don't want to compromise you like that. You have to be running low yourself. I've fought under these conditions before."

"You don't look fine," his brows came together. "Look, Pyrrha, we're in this together. We still have to find these relics and who knows how many more Grimm are out there? I don't want to see you get hurt if we run into something like the Deathstalker again."

The idea did make her pause. She eyed him. His clothes were scuffed and skin soiled with dirt. But nothing was bruised and there was no dirt. He was able to stand tall as if the worst he had to do was perform calisthenics.

"How much Aura do you have, Jaune?" she questioned.

He shrugged, "Never had a chance to run out so who knows?"

She wouldn't have believed it until she recalled what he said early. He said he had unlocked his Aura six months ago. It was long enough to become familiar with it but not enough to test its full limits and push its potential like she had. And even then, he said he rarely used it… including their first bout against a pack of Beowulf Grimm.

"If it won't burden you," she said with a tense voice. She made sure to give him a hard look. "Only enough to keep me going. But if you suddenly feel lightheaded or exhausted, stop. I don't want you to end up like me."

"I got it," his expression was just as firm as hers. "Turn around. I need to touch as close to your heart as possible."

She did as such, pulling her ponytail over her shoulder to expose her back. She wasn't sure what to expect but chose to look straight ahead. Her eyes peered at the edge of the forest, keeping a vigilant eye just in case more Grimm came.

She felt his hand between her shoulder blades. There came the sound of inhaling— his habit of focusing on his Aura. Once they were done with the test, she swore she was going to teach him proper control until he could use it as well as he should.

A warm feeling flowed through her. Something electric tickled down her spine. It startled her but it was also a sensation her body welcomed. Her tightened and sore muscles relaxed. She felt her body's healing process ease her exhaustion. The weight on her shoulders was quickly coming off.

Her eyes widened. Jaune wasn't just replenishing her Aura or healing her. He was giving her back her stamina. Aura was an amplifier that enhanced the body's natural talents. But the body still ran on its own energy; nutrients, proteins, _hydration_. These things couldn't be replenished with Aura alone.

And yet, Jaune could.

She opened her mouth to ask a question. Was she syphoning his very life force without him knowing?

"J-Jaune…" was all she could say as a new wave of warmth flowed through her. This one made her gasp. Her insides were on fire. Her body felt flushed. It didn't hurt— far from it. The sensation had turned from water down a dry throat into an itch she couldn't reach being satisfied. So gratifying was it did her body betray her and force her mouth shut. It was enjoying in this feeling and demanded more.

"Almost done," she heard his voice but couldn't fully register the words. "Man, you weren't kidding when you said you were low. I'm still good so I'm going to give you a little more."

 _More_. The word sent a wave of euphoria and hunger through her.

"N-No…" she gasped. "J… Jaune… W-Wait…"

Her legs were shaking. Something wasn't right. But by the Gods did it feel so good. A part of her, the selfish part that was too polite to speak up, wanted this to keep going. But the rational part was trying to go against it. She was bleeding him. And yet, that rationality wasn't strong enough to speak up.

"Relax," he snorted. "I've got enough for you. This will only take a few seconds."

She wanted to step away. She wanted to turn her body away from his hand. But she couldn't move. It was as if she was pinned in place. No, more like she had been shoved into one of those massage chairs after a hard sweat. No, more like a personal masseuse was treating her.

A masseuse with the hands of a god working on her thighs and reaching higher, and higher, and higher…

"Alright, that should be enough to get us through—"

"Don't stop!"

As soon as his hand was off her back did the spell break. She spun on him so fast it sent her mind whirling. She stared up into his blue eyes. His startled, clueless blue eyes.

The words she said… _begged_ at donned on her quickly enough.

Her face felt like it was on fire.

"Well…" Jaune began slowly, unsure of himself. "If you want more, it's not a problem. I've still got—"

"No," she said quickly, turning away from him and covering her cheeks with her hands. Her heart was hammering and her face was so hot with embarrassment. "It was… I-I'm going on ahead."

She powerwalked away from Jaune without any shame. Shame? She left that at his feet. She had been swept away by his Semblance that she had forgone her discipline— no, her basic human decency! Never, and she meant _never_ , had she acted like that in front of anyone!

On her way towards Weiss and Ruby, she extended a hand as she passed by Miló. Her spear flew into her hand. She kept her head bowed, not even noticing she had walked past the two girls.

0-0-0

Jaune's biggest stress since arriving at Vale was finally over.

"Jaune Arc. Weiss Schnee. Pyrrha Nikos. Ruby Rose," Headmaster Ozpin stood at the center stage with him and the three named girls back in the Great Hall of Beacon Academy. He looked at each of them with a proud, if not amused, glint in his eyes. "For gathering the white knight pieces, you will henceforth be known as Team JWPR."

Team Jupiter. It wasn't a bad name, all things considered. It was better than Team… what was it? Ah, Team Pluto. Maybe not as cool as Brynhildr, or Twilight, or even Luna. But still better than _Pluto_.

Who or what in the name of Remnant was a Pluto?

It was a few hours since the four of them had found a ruined altar in the middle of the forest. Placed on several pedestals were chess pieces. Ruby picked one up and Pyrrha chose another. They didn't think anything about it at the time when the girls decided to get matching pairs.

But here they were. The four of them were stuck together as a team for the next four years. Ruby was ecstatic to have all of them. Pyrrha was good natured about it but he chalked up her lack of a response as mental fatigue from the initiation. Weiss… had mixed feelings. She was enthusiastic about having Pyrrha but disappointed in having him.

Several teams went up, had their thirty seconds of fame, and were brushed off the stage to induct the next set of four students. It was a rather quick process without any audience besides the few students who lingered around to see who was with who.

"…Led by Jaune Arc," the headmaster concluded.

"Huh?" Jaune blinked.

Weiss squawked. Ruby squealed. Pyrrha… said nothing.

"Congratulations, young man," Ozpin went up to shake his hand, as he had with every other student. But as Jaune accepted his hand, the grip lingered. The older man's eyes bore into his without the slightest twitch. "It looks like you figured out that landing strategy after all."

Jaune didn't respond. His throat felt dry just from looking into the man's eyes. It felt like her all over again.

Ozpin released him to shake everyone else's hands, share a few words with them, and gesture them off the stage for the next group.

0-0-0

"This looks like our dorm," Pyrrha commented. "So all we have to do is use our scroll like this and…"

She raised the universal communications device up to a pad next to the door. It beeped and they all heard a click. The door was unlocked.

The dormitories were in a different building relatively close to the Great Hall and main school building. Ergo, he would have no excuse if he was late to any of his classes. The hallways were spacious enough to fit all four of them side-by-side, and lined with red carpet. Other than the occasional painting and decorative lantern on the wall (which was silly because there were lights on the ceiling), the dorm building was kind of spartan.

Still, every floor had a common room and a kitchen for the students to use. On the bottom floor was the recreational area full of board games, a television, and some table games.

"This will be our home for the next four years," Ruby muttered in a low voice. He wasn't sure if it was out of disappointment or out of nerves. He assumed the latter considering her previous record of enthusiasm.

"So it is," Jaune stretched and yawned. "I am going to sleep like a rock."

"I think the saying is _drop_ like a rock."

"I know what I said."

"Our uniforms and luggage should have been delivered while we were in ceremony," Weiss cut them off. "Before we can relax, we should see to it everything is in order. We should unpack and… set some ground rules."

She said that last part while looking at him, the only guy who will be bunking with three cute girls for the next four years.

"Can't it wait until morning?" he groaned and slouched.

"Did… Did I take too much from you…?" he heard Pyrrha ask in such a small voice he almost missed it.

He waved it off, "Nah. I think the day is just catching up to me. All the excitement from earlier just… washed out of me. I've been running on adrenaline since…"

Since he boarded the Bullhead to take him to Beacon _yesterday_. Now that he was in school, most of his stress was relieved. He had done it! He had cheated the system and gotten into Beacon Academy with those faulty records!

"We _did_ have a long day…" Pyrrha offered.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "I suppose some rest is in order. But! I will be waking everyone up early to make up for it. Classes start first thing in the morning and everyone needs to be presentable. For now, the only thing we need to discuss is the sleeping arrangements and use of the bathroom. We all need a shower after today's conundrum."

"I volunteer to go first," Jaune raised his hand. "I only need five minutes."

"You will go last," Weiss snapped.

"Whhhhyyyyyy?" Jaune whined.

"Still know nothing about women, Jaune-boy?"

Any drowsiness in Jaune was ripped out of him like a crusty band-aid.

"RUBY?!" the door across of theirs was nearly ripped off its hinges as Yang rushed out. Behind here, three pairs of eyes peered over her shoulder to see what the commotion was. Yang looked around with her weapons locked and ready as if a Grimm roamed in the hallway. "What's wrong? Why did you scream?"

"That wasn't me!" Ruby waved her arms around. "That was…"

The one who had screamed like a little girl was Jaune.

His eyes was locked on a young man close to his age, leaning against the doorframe of their neighboring dorm. He had his arms crossed and shoulders shaking. He was laughing.

"You always crack me up, Jaune-boy!" he cackled as he lifted his head and laughed a little harder. "Monty's left nut, your reactions are always great!"

All heads turned back to Jaune.

"Do you know him?" Pyrrha asked.

"Pfft," Jaune jeered and brushed his hands at the man's direction. "No. Never. I've never seen him before in my life."

"…Then why did you scream?" Weiss asked with narrowed eyes.

"Loud enough to wake the dead," Yang cleaned out her ear with her pinky to make a point.

"Jaune and I grew up together," the man said as he pushed himself off the wall and approached. He walked through the group to reach Jaune, only then to wrap an arm over his shoulder and pulling him close. He smiled at the girls, "We trained together in Haven. Come on, Jaune-boy, tell them all about me."

"Zain, I will kill you if you keep calling me that," Jaune hissed but didn't have the power to back up the threat. He was still shocked about this man's arrival.

Zain could only keep smiling.

"Oh," Pyrrha spoke up. "Jaune mentioned you. You're the one who gave him his sweatshirt as a parting gift."

"You're one of Jaune's friends?" Ruby asked with such innocence it almost hurt to look. If this guy was one of his friends then that _must_ mean he was one of hers. That was what the look in her eyes told him.

"Guilty," Zain shrugged without letting go of Jaune, who struggled to get him off.

"He didn't mention you'd be here," Pyrrha commented. She was watching them both with a sharp gaze behind that polite guise of hers.

"Surprise!" he lifted his other hand and waved like a jazz player. He pushed himself a little off of Jaune but kept his arm wrapped around his neck. "It was sort of a last minute thing. Didn't get the chance to tell him."

"You could have sent a message," Jaune growled.

"I don't know. This reaction made it all worth it. But… I do have to apologize to you ladies. As hilarious as it was, I didn't mean to scare you all like that. I'm sorry."

Jaune rolled his eyes.

"So, Jaune, why don't you and I go catch up for a bit?" Zain released him, only to place his hand on his other shoulder and shake him lightly. "Let the ladies have a chance to freshen up. Come on. I'll buy you a drink."

"You mean like tea, _right_?" Jaune's eyes flashed at the man's slip.

"I was thinking about some hard liquor but if you want to be a buzz kill I know this fancy-dancy vending machine that serves some good tea," Zain quipped back. His lip had twitched when Jaune called him out but he recovered quickly.

"Maybe you should reacquaint tomorrow?" Pyrrha spoke up. She was watching Jaune closely. "We've all been through a lot today and we'll have the next four years to talk."

"If the boys want to go, then let them," Weiss commented, giving Pyrrha a warning look. She wanted Jaune out of the room while they did… whatever it was high-maintenance girls like Weiss did behind closed doors.

"Initiation was much…" Zain muttered in agreement. "It's up to you, Jaune. I'll let you rest if you want to."

He let go but didn't distant himself. Their eyes met.

"Yeah, sure," Jaune stood straight and rolled his shoulders. "Catching up sounds great. I think I can spare a few before I completely crash. I'll be back later girls, kay?"

"Make sure to be back within the next hour," Weiss instructed. "An early night means and early morning. We have classes tomorrow and don't forget about managing our things."

"If you're sure…" Pyrrha said to him.

"Cool!" Zain was full of smiles as he socked Jaune's arm and started to walk down the hallway. "I'm telling you, Jaune, that vending machine is the local hotspot!"

Jaune didn't say anything as he put his hands in his jean pockets and marched on.

"…Am I the only one who felt awkward by that?" he heard Yang question the group.

"No," he heard Pyrrha reply.

0-0-0

A scroll swiped in front of the screen. Buttons were pressed. The vending machine spat out two cans.

"Black or green?" Zain raised the contents with each hand. His face was bland and bored.

Jaune didn't answer. He grabbed the man by his collar and shoved him into the machine. The durable glass rattled but didn't break. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Zain kept his bored expression. The hissing sound of a cracked open can was heard before he brought it up to his lips to take a sip.

"Orders," he responded in a grim tone. "Now are we going to discuss this as _friends_ or are we going to be like this for the next four years? What will your team say if they saw you like this? What will you tell them?"

Jaune clenched his teeth and tightened his grip. It only lasted for a few moments. He let go and stepped back. He couldn't get his teeth to stop grinding, however.

"What orders?" Jaune hissed.

"She told me to follow you," Zain said as he tossed the green tea at Jaune, who caught it with ease. "Don't think I'm happy about this either. I'm an adult pretending to be a child. I'm not sure if I should be flirting back with some of the girls or pretend to be gay. And _that_ opens a whole new can of worms."

Jaune scoffed, "You? Worried about sleeping with someone underage?"

"We all have our own code. Some don't steal from children. Some don't kill the elderly. I don't fuck girls who aren't eighteen yet. Some of the other guys though…"

"Code? You've killed people."

"So have you," Zain pointed back.

Jaune didn't blink. They stared at another in silence. Zain took a drink, continued to stare some more, and took another sip.

"I thought I was free," Jaune said as he averted his gaze. Anger boiled through him. "That was the deal. I beat her at her own game and she let me go. Why is she still watching me?"

"Jaune… did you think it would be that simple? Did you think after all the years she invested in you she was going to let you walk away? You're way too important to her.

"For what it's worth, I don't know what she wants from you. My orders were to be the middle man. I'm to report your progress and relay messages to you from her. Aside from that, I won't interfere with your life. You can tell those girls you and I just grew apart but meet up every now and then for a chat."

"Messages…" Jaune shook his head and then glared at the man. "I'm not doing any of her dirty work. Not anymore. I'm done with all of that."

Zain didn't comment. He swirled his can around and listened to the liquid swish around. He didn't say anything for the longest time.

"Saw what you did with that Deathstalker," he spoke up.

Jaune's eyes narrowed. He hadn't sensed Zain anywhere in the Emerald Forest. One of the first things he learned was to rely on the gut feeling of someone watching you. It helped him avoid pursuers and predators alike.

"You're a lot weaker since you left camp," Zain crossed his arms and let the can dangle by the tips of his fingers. "Jaune, that Deathstalker should have been nothing compared to someone like you. At first I thought you were holding back to hide what you were in front of Nikos. But that's not the case, is it? You wouldn't have done something like that the moment she was in danger. That's the code you live by."

He downed the last of his drink and tossed it to the side without looking away from Jaune. It landed in the recycle bin.

"What's your point?" Jaune demanded in a low tone.

"All that power you stored up is gone, isn't it? All the bonds you made, abandoned. You turned your back on the people who supported you. All because you refuse to be a Branwen…"

"The Branwen Clan is nothing but cutthroats and thieves," Jaune snarled.

If Zain was offended by it, he didn't show it. His face remained a blank mask as he shrugged off the comment. He had heard it a hundred times before and will hear it a hundred more.

"Are we still done here?" Jaune was already turning to leave.

"…She still believes in you," Zain said as though it were an off-hand comment. "Otherwise you wouldn't be able to use any of her skills. Isn't that how your Semblance works, Hero?"

Jaune paused. He didn't want to consider that truth. He didn't want to come to terms with it.

He walked on.

"Remember what the Schnee said," Zain called out to him. "Let them have their hour. I'll text you later, Jaune-boy!"

"Go jump in the ocean and get eaten by a Leviathan!"

As he walked, he could _feel_ Zain's smile.

* * *

 **Pat reon: Arrixam**


	3. Healer

**AN:** Depending on how this chapter is received, I will be putting it on pause to work on another project. I'm thinking about updating a certain story revolving a certain Predator. I'll do one chapter of that, and then take a break to update a personal favorite of mine for my birthday, and then update that Predator's story once more.

Oh. There's a theme going on with these chapters. Since there is now a third chapter let's see if anyone spots it. 50 points if you get it right.

On with the show.

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 _ **There are Enough Destroyers and Criticizers**_

Blake Belladonna resisted the urge to rip the bow off of her head and be free. There was an itch underneath it due to her haste in tying it and if she were to scratch it then it would draw unwanted attention. She distracted herself with a new novel she picked up in Vale and… her eccentric teammates.

"What do you think classes will be like?" Yang asked.

Nora said something not of human language.

"Maybe," Ren gave a casual shrug as if he understood her. And perhaps he honestly did. "But it wouldn't be fair to make assumptions before meeting our professors. Also don't talk with your mouth full, Nora."

Nora gulped down the entire stack of pancakes she had shoved into her mouth. There hadn't been any room for her to even chew with the way her cheeks had been puffed out. Yet, the overly energetic girl wasn't deterred. She reached for her second plate, stabbed her fork into another stack of ten pancakes, and repeated the process.

Blake was temporarily mesmerized. How could anyone fit that much food within such a small crevice? Sure, Nora had a big mouth in more than one way, but the dimensions didn't add up.

"I'm personally looking forward to combat practice," Yang gave a cocky grin to the table. "Never was any good with this studying stuff but I was top of the class in spars back in Signal. You should have seen the last match of the semester. They said I ended the year with a _Yang_. Eh? Eh?"

Nora was the only one who laughed.

"Hi Yang!" someone with a high-pitch voice chirped from relatively close.

"Hey sis!" Yang gave a casual salute. "And hey there Team JWPR. How's it going?"

Blake lifted her eyes and spotted Ruby— Yang's younger sister— and three more students following the girl. She recognized the Schnee heiress and Pyrrha Nikos (because who wouldn't?) but didn't know the lone male of the group. Her curiosity wasn't strong enough to inquire and she went back to her book.

"Good morning, Team BRYN," Pyrrha greeted in a polite, if not guarded, tone. It sounded like someone who was trying to be nice but didn't want to appear too friendly. Someone who didn't like to step on someone else's toes.

BRYN— pronounced _Brynhildr_ , because the extra syllables was invisible or something _—_ was the designated team name given to her team. _Her_ team. Blake was designated as team leader for reasons she couldn't begin to guess. Her teammates didn't question it. They merely congratulated her, tried to celebrate in their dorm the night before and, well, she was glad some girl screamed in the hallway to distract them.

"Would you like to join us?" Ren asked in a polite tone, albeit this one full of friendliness as opposed to the tournament champion. "There's plenty of room."

"We don't wish to be a bother," Weiss Schnee spoke as if she were the matriarch of their group. Unless Blake was developing dyslexia, and Gods forbid, she was sure Team Jupiter started with a _J_.

"I grew up with Rubes all my life," Yang waved a hand. "You can't be any bigger of a bother than that one time she had a crush on this boy named—"

"You promised to never talk about that!" Ruby shouted out with a face as red as her name. She glanced at her teammates before quickly averting her gaze and staring intently at the tray of food in her hands.

"A boy named what?" Nora asked, bouncing around in her seat.

"A boy named Sue," Yang's smile was full of devilish intent.

"Sue? What kind of name is that?"

"It belonged to a girl."

"I didn't know she was a girl!" Ruby blurted out.

There was a long silence among the group. Blake didn't pay it any mind as she continued to read. When she flipped the page, she heard the rummaging among the table. She glanced up to see the four extras had joined them for breakfast. She went back to her book.

"So…" Yang drummed her hands on the table as she looked around. "This is my team. Team BRYN—"

She pronounced it as _brine._

"Short for Brynhildr," she also butchered the pronunciation of the woman they were named after. "That right there is Ren and Nora. They've been together forever."

"But not together-together," Nora cut in quickly and with a nervous cackle. Ren had no comment.

"And this is our team leader, Blake," Yang leaned over to grab Blake by both her shoulders and give her a light shake. It make Blake glare at the girl. Yang smiled back, "Why not say hello, o' captain of mine?"

For a moment, Blake thought her teammate wasn't as much of a stereotypical bimbo as she let everyone believe. To be able to paraphrase a not so well-known poem had her thinking otherwise.

"…Hello," was all Blake said for the sake of politesse.

"Right, well…" the boy of the other team cleared his throat. "I'm not sure if you know but this is Ruby. Say hello, Ruby."

"Hi!" Ruby giggled, as well as Yang and Nora. Maybe even Pyrrha. Blake didn't care to see if it was true.

"And this is Weiss and Pyrrha," he introduced next.

"Hello again," Pyrrha had a more chipper voice than before, finding a sense of familiarity to be comfortable with everyone. She then regarded everyone else in Team BRYN, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Weiss greeted cordially.

"Together we're Team JWPR!" he concluded. "We're currently working on some dynamic poses whenever we introduce ourselves."

"We most certainly are not!" Weiss interjected. "Jaune, I thought we talked about this. Please don't listen to anything this buffoon has to say. He doesn't speak for all of us."

Ah, so his name was Jaune. Good to know.

"But Weiss, I was kinda looking forward to that…" Ruby sulked.

"Isn't he your team leader?" Ren had a pointed question.

"We are not striking poses like those Super Hunters on that Saturday morning show," Weiss gave the two of them a flat look.

"Can I be the pink one?" Nora blurted out. "Oh, wait, no. Ren might have to be on account of his hair and eyes."

"I'd be content with being green," Ren almost pleaded. "I think pink would suit you better, Nora."

"Wait, what was that?" Jaune blinked and looked at her. "Is that some TV show or something?"

"Isn't that where you got the idea from?" Weiss' tone was full of doubt. After some silence, she scoffed. "I don't believe you. If you didn't get the idea from that television broadcast, where in all of Remnant did you get it from?"

"It just came to me one day," he shrugged. "I proposed the idea to the boss— uh, my mentor. The idea was to make us seem so intimidating no one would want to pick a fight with us."

"What was her response?" Pyrrha had a hesitant voice, but she was the only one willing to ask.

Blake quirked a brow. The gender was never specified. Unless this was one of those things she knew about beforehand. They were all on the same team, after all. Little details about the past must have gone around to break the ice. It was fortunate Blake's team hadn't been so… prudish about their own. She wasn't ready to have that conversation just yet.

Jaune's voice became small as he slouched and picked at his food, "She told me it was the dumbest thing I've ever come up with. Didn't even give it a try…"

He stirred his cereal bowl around before taking a scoop. He didn't eat it right away. He just stared into the pieces of processed oats and marshmallows as if they had all the answers as to why his idea was so stupid.

"There you have it," Weiss waved a hand to dismiss the topic. She dug into her breakfast— a healthy blend of egg whites, beans, and fruits— with the posture and grace of someone who grew up in high society. Everything she did had to be perfect. She was like a mechanical wind-up doll that went through precise motions.

The guise broke once Jaune spat out his breakfast.

"Jaune!" Weiss snapped at him, even when she wasn't in direct line of fire.

"Whoa dude! Watch the hair! Not cool," but Yang was. Most of the spittle landed on her uniform jacket, to which she wiped off with a napkin.

"Sorry about that," Jaune put his spoon down and glared down at the cereal. "It's just… who eats this stuff?! It's nothing but sugar!"

"I take it you didn't like your first bowl of Pumpkin Pete's?" Pyrrha asked with a strained smile. "It's mostly marketed towards children with a sweet tooth. Would you like some of my breakfast instead?"

There was a hint of something endearing in her tone. Blake almost missed it. It seems like the most famous person in Mistral has a crush on a certain someone.

"No thanks," Jaune said as he glared daggers at his breakfast. "I asked for it so I'm going to finish it. You should never waste food."

"Just warn me if you're going to barf all over me again," Yang said as she finished wiping off chunks of food from her blazer.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Jaune offered a weak smile.

"Jaune, right?" Ren leaned over to look at the blonde.

"Huh? Oh, right! Jaune Arc, nice to meet you."

"Lie Ren," the young man returned in a gentle tone. "And this is Nora Valkyrie."

Nora waved enthusiastically. She couldn't voice her own greeting on account of the pancakes stuffed in her mouth.

"Jaune is the leader of our team," Ruby threw in there.

There was a subtle noise of discontent from the heiress beside her. It was a very quiet, if not sharp, noise coming from her nose. Maybe one or two at the table heard.

"That's right," Jaune either pretended not to hear the girl next to her or had missed it. He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not exactly sure what a leader is supposed to do. We've kinda been trying to sort things out on our own. We've had some… disagreements—"

"That's putting it lightly," Weiss quipped as she glared at him in the corner of her eye.

Jaune rubbed his cheek as if some invisible wound still ached him. Blake could faintly see the red marks of a handprint. "But I think we're off to a good start. Did you guys have any problems starting out?"

Oh, if only he knew…

"I think every team will have their bumps in the road," Ren commented casually. "It was fortunate I was paired with Nora—"

Nora nodded vigorously.

"But not everyone will have the same luck," Ren continued. "A lot of the teams will be composed of complete strangers."

"Eh, I think we all get along just fine," Yang had a playful smirk as she shrugged. "Sure we all have a few… quirks. But I think that's part of the package deal."

"Like a variety pack?" Pyrrha questioned.

"It comes in four consecutive flavors."

"Hey, so, how did you guys do during initiation?" Nora slammed her hands against the table, shaking everything out of place, and leaned forward to get a view of Team JWPR. "Renny and I fought off against a whole pack of Ursa before running into these two."

"She came riding on the back of one," Blake added her two cents.

"To death," Yang concluded. Blake nodded.

"We kinda-sorta wound up lost," Ruby began with a small voice, taking quick glances at Weiss out of fear.

"We did not get lost," Weiss huffed. "The Emerald Forest was simply too vast for us to properly pinpoint the location of the relic. Ruby and I agreed it would be best if we could survey the land from a higher point."

"So we hitched a ride on a Nevermore!" Ruby bounced in her seat.

Weiss shook her head in dismay.

"Annnnnnd that's how we came across Jaune," Ruby went on, looking over to her team leader. "Say, how _did_ you wind up on that Nevermore in the first place?"

"Yes, Jaune," Pyrrha's voice was flat and her eyes lifeless as she stared at the blonde teenager. "Remind me again all about your… Operation Sky Burner?"

"Oooh!" Nora was gushing with excitement. "Sounds legit! I should have come up with a name for our plan with the Ursa! Renny, why didn't we think of anything?"

"Because it was less of a plan and more of a spur of the moment," he retorted in a simple and patient tone.

"How about…" Jaune rubbed a hand under his jaw. He snapped a finger, "The Valkyrian Cavalry?"

"I like!" Nora nodded with a whimsical smile. Suddenly, her eyes flashed wide. "But that's just for me! What about Ren? He was there the whole time!"

"…More like I was being dragged behind," her friend muttered quietly.

"I think we're getting distracted from the topic at hand," Weiss interjected. "Jaune, could you kindly elaborate your _sophisticated_ plan?"

It sounded like she wanted to hear about it more than anyone else. She was glaring daggers at him. Blake momentarily lowered her book for curiosity's sake.

Jaune stirred his spoon over the cereal he had yet to take another bite of before going into detail. He and Pyrrha had come across a Deathstalker. Rather than go out and find other students to support them, Jaune's idea was to—

Blake shut the book and tucked it to the side as she gave him her full attention.

—grab onto a _Deathstalker's tail_ and aggravate the Grimm well enough for it to launch him into the air at a convenient Nevermore flying nearby. The idea was to bring the flying Grimm down so the two beasts would battle each other. Whoever would win would be wounded, leaving them easy pickings for he and Pyrrha.

Miraculously— as in out of such luck it had to be stupid— the Nevermore crash-landed on top of the Deathstalker and effectively killed them both in the collision.

With Weiss and Ruby still attached to said creature.

Jaune concluded his report with a proud look on his face.

Adam would have cut him down where he sat for the amount of risk alone in this _operation_.

"That is by far the most—" Weiss began with a disgusted look on her face.

"Amazing thing I've ever heard!" Nora shouted over her. Stars were in her eyes. "I totally get it! _Sky Burner_!" She spread her hands as if a banner with the name on it was displayed before her. "Forget riding on the back of an Ursa. You take the cake!"

"Please don't encourage his recklessness," Weiss stabbed a little hard into her eggs.

"I don't know…" Yang rested her elbows on the table as she saw Jaune in a new light. Her grin was full of amazement and challenging as if she had found a worthy foe. "Riding on the back of a Nevermore and using it to kamikaze a Deathstalker? That takes some serious brass."

"Reckless!" Weiss' voice picked up in volume. "He nearly got Ruby and I killed!"

"Weiss… we came out fine…" Ruby pleaded.

"Only due to our prior training. Had we been exhausted from excursions against other Grimm packs, our levels of Aura at the time might not have been enough to allow us a cushioned landing. Who uses another Grimm as a missile?! With, I might add, two individuals unrelated to his endeavor."

"I said I was sorry…" Jaune muttered lowly.

"How did you manage to pull it off?" Ren asked with an intellectual interest. "Your plan entirely relied on the Nevermore. You had to find a way onto it as well as leading it towards the Deathstalker. Succeeding on any one of those requires an extraordinarily large amount of luck. But to accomplish both? That's nothing short of a miracle."

"Instinct, I guess," Jaune shrugged out of cluelessness. "It's not the first time I've done something like that before."

"You mean catapulting yourself off of a Deathstalker and onto a Nevermore?" Pyrrha gawked at him.

"No, I mean I've had to come up with plans like this before. I had to think outside the box since, uh, you know, my options were limited. Oddly enough… they always came through. It's like someone up there is looking out for me. Rav— um, my mentor always told me I had the luck and endurance of a cockroach."

"…That doesn't seem like a compliment," Blake mentioned.

"That's just her way of saying I'm hard to kill," he said with a satisfied smile. A proud smile belonging to someone who had accomplished something great and worthy of legacy.

…By being compared to a cockroach.

"Unbelievable…" Weiss muttered beneath her breath as she dismissed the topic and went back to picking at her breakfast. She looked around the table, seeing at everyone's food, and then at Jaune's. "Jaune, you should eat quickly. I don't want to be late for classes on the first day. And be sure to not spill anything over your uniform."

"Yes _dear_ ," he drawled.

"What was that?" her shoulders stiffened as she turned her head to look directly at him. Fire blazed out of her eyes.

"I'm touched you care so much about me," he gave her a charming smile, completely unfazed (or oblivious) to the dangerous glint in her eyes. "But you don't need to take care of me. I at least know my table manners."

He demonstrated by grabbing a napkin, flicking it open, and letting it rest onto his lap.

Blake rolled her eyes and decided to go back to her book. She was almost done with the chapter and wanted to find a good spot to pause before class.

"I am worried you will soil your uniform," Weiss pointed out. "Impressions are everything, Jaune. Team JWPR needs to be perfect and must set an example for the rest of the students. Any blemish among us will tarnish our reputation before it can properly establish. We could wind up as the laughing stock of the school for entire year if—"

Jaune let out a large and obnoxiously rude belch.

Weiss looked so brittle the faintest touch would shatter her.

On another note, a few of the students cheered and clapped at Jaune's defecation of social decency. Yang was one of them. Her brows were raised as she nodded in approval.

"Excuse me," Jaune said as he lifted his napkin and patted his lips in a dainty fashion.

While Weiss had been going on her lecture, Jaune had finished his bowl of cereal. He had finished his meal quicker than anyone else's.

"Have you no sense of decency?!" Weiss' voice was a mixture of a shriek and a hush. She wanted to shout at him while keeping the conversation for exclusive hearing of their own table.

"What? I said 'excuse me'."

"That doesn't _excuse_ what you just did!"

"But I said—"

"It doesn't work that way, you incompetent, lazy, disorganized, inconsiderate, chauvinistic hooligan!"

Just as Jaune's act of misconduct had silenced any conversation from the table, so too had Weiss' outburst. The girl's face was glowing scarlet, reaching as far as her ears and neck. Blake had the distinct feeling there was more to her irritation than current events.

Jaune looked like he was in pain. Her words had really struck him. His arms had slid off the table to wrap around his waist. He looked a little pale.

"How and why someone like Headmaster Ozpin picked you to be the team leader is beyond me," Weiss concluded with a huff before turning back to her food. Her utensils cut and prodded at the tray but she never took a bite.

Jaune began to sweat. He slouched forward.

The members of Team BRYN (Blake included) exchanged looks. They all unanimously agreed things had gotten awkward.

"Weiss…" Pyrrha hesitated as she considered her words. "Maybe we should talk about this later?"

"Yes, you're right," Weiss took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her eyes remained hardened, however, as she looked at the other team. "I apologize for that display; it is unbecoming of me to show my frustration. I hope you don't think poorly of me just because of this one—"

"Bathroom!" Jaune shouted and leapt out of his seat. Before anyone could stop him, he bolted out of the cafeteria.

Both teams' eyes followed him until he was out of sight.

"Wow," Yang breathed out. "School still hasn't officially started and Weiss Schnee makes another victim cry. Way to go, Ice Queen."

Weiss did not look amused at the backhanded compliment.

"Maybe someone should go after him?" Ruby suggestion.

"Don't," Weiss cut her off with another huff. "Jaune is a maturing young man. If he can't handle a little bit of criticism then he has no hopes in becoming a huntsman in the first place." She paused to consider something. "He better not be late to class."

Team BRYN looked to Blake for answers. Yang, Nora, and Ren asked her a silent question. Do they get involved? Should one of them, presumably the only male of the group who could enter the boy's restroom, go after Jaune?

Blake frowned. Why were they coming to her for something like this? Just because Ozpin placed her as their leader? They were all individuals capable of independent thought. They didn't need her to make decisions for them. Leadership was not something that was given— it was earned. And Blake had done nothing to earn it.

It was part of the reason why she ignored their stares in favor of her book.

0-0-0

They ended up following her like a pack as she walked to the first class of the day. No, she did not lead them. She walked off on her own, at her own pace, and they were right behind her. Even as they entered the classroom with rows of elevated seats, they all sat around her. She wanted the corner seat to be as far away from anyone's attention as possible but Yang cut her off on that one. Her team surrounded her.

The classroom left a grim (no pun intended) atmosphere once they all took their seats and examined the layout. Hanging up on the walls were recreated Grimm masks as well as a few life-sized models of the monsters spread around the floor. There were dozens of them, displayed as trophies placed for the sake of grandeur.

As the rest of the students entered and took their seats, Team JWPR was one of the firsts to present themselves. It got Blake to quirk a brow; she would have figured the SDC heiress would have been the most punctual of students.

She watched as the team chose to take a seat in the row below theirs. Their leader was conspicuously absent from their group, much to the ire of Weiss.

"I'm going to kill him," she heard the heiress mutter just as the professor entered the classroom.

If she was thinking of her reputation, she was too late. Rumors had already started and Blake heard her fair share since leaving the cafeteria. But it wasn't directly pointed at Team JWPR, per se. Most of the sneers and mockery were directed at Weiss. News had already spread from her outburst this morning.

The rest of the students took their seats right as their instructor reached the front of his desk. He had a round face and a protruding stomach— not necessarily fat but rather… plump, she supposed. His grayed hair was parted in the middle to match the style of his groomed and oiled bushy mustache. Sausage fingers twirled at one end of it as his crinkled eyes peered into the stands to see what he was dealing with.

"Monsters," his voice was booming. "Demons. Creatures of the night. The Grimm take many forms and names. But to me, I refer to them as prey."

Blake's eyes fell flat as soon as the man started to laugh. All she saw was the way his stomach jiggled with each beat of uproar. He was the only one laughing.

She had assumed her first lecture in Grimm Theory would have involved a syllabus for what they were to expect for the year. Instead, their instructor for the hour, introduced as Professor Peter Port, went on a long and winded tale about his younger years as a huntsman.

"And there I was, students, surrounded by a hundred Grimm with only a rubber duck to use as a weapon! After a long and grueling battle, I returned to my bath. Isn't that right, Quakers?"

The bathroom ornament at the edge of his desk that was a little faded in color neither confirmed nor denied the legitimacy of his story.

Blake heard a thud a few rows up. Another student had passed out due to sheer boredom. His stories were neither exciting nor relevant. Professor Port didn't seem to notice as he went onto his next story about an excursion in the wildlands of Mistral. He also didn't notice how Blake read her book as well as the next chapter.

"Well, I do!" Weiss shouted at the top of her lungs.

There was a moment of startling noises as students awoke and snapped at attention. All eyes were upon the fuming heiress, who had shouted in Ruby's direction. The realization that she had done so out loud to disrupt class donned on her immediately. Her face took on a new shade of red.

"Splendid!" Professor Port swung his arm around with joy. "Thank you for volunteering, Miss Schnee!"

"I…" Weiss sputtered for a moment before resetting herself. All shock washed off of her face as if her embarrassment had never transpired. She stood from her seat, "Yes, Professor. What will you have me do?"

"Gather your equipment and return at once," Port instructed, ignorant of her bluster. "We are in need of a live demonstration on what it means to be a true huntress!"

Weiss excused herself as she stepped out of the classroom, presumably to head over to the locker rooms set for combat training. The class was full of whispers as they awaited for her to return. Professor Port went to the next room— a supply closet or his main office. A moment later, he dragged a large metal crate out. It screeched against the floor and threatened to break the doorframe.

She couldn't imagine how (and why) he had managed to fit it in there. Once he placed it against the far wall did it start to rattle. There was a live creature in there. And it didn't sound happy.

Weiss returned shortly after in her white battle gown and her dust-loaded rapier. She eyed the crate curiously but stepped up to the front of the class and readied herself.

Port looked please with her stance. He slammed his hand onto the side of the crate and the door flew open.

A Boarbatusk, a boar-like Grimm twice the size of the normal wild animal, leapt out in a frenzy. It hadn't taken too kindly to have been caged in a compact space. It was temporarily confused by the amount of shock and tension rising out of the classroom but then focused all of its attention at the closest target. That being Weiss.

It charged forward, aiming to ram its curled tusks into her and crushing her against the opposite wall.

Weiss dodged it easily, rolling out of the way and coming back onto her feet before the beast slid to turn itself around. It came at her for another round, and she dodged it once more. Port voiced his impression but did not comment any further.

After the third time of the creature coming at her and seeing no change in its pattern, Weiss slammed her blade into the ground. A layer of frost coated the floor and underneath the Boarbatusk's feet. It slipped, fell onto its side, and continued to slide on its momentum.

Weiss used this chance to cut into its exposed underbelly. The Grimm squealed before lying still. They watched as it began to dissolve before their eyes.

"Well done," Port clapped in applause. "We are in the presence of a true huntress. Very nicely done, Miss Schnee."

Weiss took her praise with a high head and a slight bow at her waist.

The bell rang, indicating the end of classes.

"Is that the time already?" Port asked aloud as he pulled a pocket watch from his breast pocket and eyed it. He stroked his mustache before tucking it back away. "That'll be all for today, students. Next time we will discuss all about Boarbatusk's and their natural environment. Look forward to it!"

Blake would have groaned if she didn't hear a few of the others do it before her. It was only the first day and she already figured out Professor Port's methodology of teaching.

He was going to bore them all with another exaggerated story, this time involving the specific breed of Grimm he had caged for who knows how long.

She at least had the courtesy to nudge Yang awake before gathering her things and stepping away. She might have done the same for Nora, but Ren seemed to be already on it. Blake didn't wait for her teammates as she joined the rest of the students flooding the doorway.

And yet, her team was right behind her when next she looked.

"Please tell me someone caught what the homework was," Yang said as they entered the hallway.

"He didn't give any," Ren said with an understanding smile.

Both Yang and Nora sighed with relief.

Blake kept walking but they were always a step behind her. She even slowed her steps so that one of them could go ahead; she was more comfortable being in the back of the group and following along in silence. But they noticed her shift and kept at her pace.

"So, Blake, what'ja think?" Yang asked. It wasn't out of curiosity. The girl was trying to get Blake involved in the conversation.

"He seemed… confident," she chose her words carefully. Port _was_ a professional huntsman and their teacher. He had to have some sort of credentials worthy enough to teach in arguably the most prestigious huntsman academy in Remnant.

"But he was so _boring_ ," Nora, however, had no such discretion. "If this is how it's going to be for the entire year then I don't know how I'm going to survive."

"Worry not, students!" Yang deepened her voice and puffed out her chest. She also assumed one of the poses Port used in his lecture. "I'll have you know I waged war against boredom itself! She was a nasty beast, that boredom. Why, all I had with me at the time was my hair comb and a key I can't recall opens what! But I proved the better and only stubbed my toe in the process. Hoh, hoh, hoh!"

She and Nora burst up laughing. Even Ren had a few laughs in him, though he was trying his hardest not to. Other students nearby had heard Yang and laughed as well.

"You shouldn't talk about him like that," Blake was annoyed. "He is our teacher and a professional huntsman with years of experience under his belt. You should treat him with a little more respect."

"Aw, lighten up, Blake," Yang tried to use a disarming smile. It didn't work. "I don't mean anything by it. Professor Port might not be the most interesting teaches I've had, but he seems… all _right_. Hah? Get it?"

Yang looked at them expectantly. All she got back were three sets of blank faces. Blake was probably the only one in the group who understood the horrendous pun.

"Tough crowd," Yang blew a raspberry at them.

"We have a half-hour break before the next class," Ren commented. "What should we do before then?"

Blake expected suggestions to be tossed around. She was content with that and following their lead. Except after some time, nothing was being shared. She glanced over her shoulder and saw three pairs of eyes stare back at her. They were expecting the suggestions from _her_.

"Any ideas, Blake?" Nora leaned forward (invading her personal space). "We'll go wherever you want."

"Can't you people think for yourselves?" she blew back in frustration.

"Sure we can," Yang shrugged as she crossed her arms. "But you're the leader. We figured we'd listen to what you have to say first and go from there."

"Did you come to this agreement yourselves?" she asked next, looking at each of them for a second. "When did you have the chance to have this conversation behind my back?"

"We did nothing behind your back," Ren spoke in a placating voice. "We never had any such conversation. I think we all came to this conclusion on our own. None of us know what it means to be on a team."

And he thought _she_ knew?

There were very few role models she had. There was her father… who stepped down from power when he realized his principles weren't working.

And then there was… Adam.

She didn't want to be a leader like Adam.

She didn't want to be a leader, period.

"What about… the library?" Yang offered.

"The lib—" Nora blurted out in protest before Yang covered the space between them in an instant. The blonde covered her mouth before she could finish.

"Yeah, the library," Yang continued. "Maybe see what kind of books they have? Maybe you can recommend something to me?"

She didn't want to visit the library when they only had a half an hour break. She planned on going there after school hours to view their collection at her own leisure. No doubt her teammates would follow her there anyways.

She looked around, aimlessly, trying to think of literally anything else to do to waste time. Why couldn't they run off to do their own thing and leave her alone? All she wanted to do was find a quiet spot and read her book.

Her eyes caught a splash of green going down the adjacent hallway.

"Why don't you go on ahead?" Blake turned back to them. "There's something I need to do first."

"Do you want us to wait for you?" Ren asked.

"No," she shook her head as she answered quicker than she should have. "It's just… I need to speak with the headmaster about something important. In fact, you should meet me at the next class."

"Wait, Blake," Yang's complexion paled. She had a nervous smile. "You know I was just kidding about that Professor Port impersonation. Right? You wouldn't rat out your own teammate, _right_?"

Blake didn't hold back rolling her eyes. "It's not about that. Sorry but I gotta go before I miss him. I'll see you in class."

Before they could stop her, she turned quickly and hurried away. There hadn't been a lot of time since the last she seen the figure walk down the hallway, but she didn't want to miss him turn into a different hallway or enter one of the classrooms. Fortunately, she saw him nearing the edge of the other hallway.

Headmaster Ozpin had stopped to gaze at one of the portraits decorating the hallway. It was a painting of some huntsman ages past. He showed no signs of nostalgia or recognition to it. It was more like he was admiring the work put into the strokes.

If she knew better… she would have sworn he did it so she could approach him. But what were the odds of him hearing a conversation two hallways down in a corridor full of lively and loud students?

"Professor Ozpin," she called out when she was a few steps away from him.

The headmaster did not seem surprised by her approach. He tore his eyes away from the painting and adjusted his stance with his cane. A cup of coffee steamed in his other hand. He eyed her with a welcoming and friendly glance.

"Miss Belladonna," he greeted without hesitation to recall a name out of a thousand others. "What can I do for you?"

She squared her shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. "I would like to formally request a transfer of leadership for my team."

He said nothing at first. His expression never changed as he regarded her. "Who then would you recommend to take the role of your team's leader?"

She was honestly surprised he was considering her request. She expected him to reject it and give her some winded lecture about leadership. She only needed a moment to snap out of her surprise and come up with an answer.

"Lie Ren," she blurted out first and then came up with an explanation when Ozpin gave her an expected look. "He's calm and collective. Whenever our team disagrees on something, he becomes the voice of reason."

"And you feel Mister Lie Ren better qualifies as a leader than you, Miss Belladonna?" he inquired, gesturing his coffee mug at her for emphasis.

"Yes," she responded right away. "Professor… given what you already know about me, I'm not qualified to lead anything. I don't deserve that amount of trust from my teammates."

He hummed to himself. She didn't know what it meant and she couldn't read anything on his face. He didn't give a reply as he took the chance to sip some of his coffee.

"Do you by chance know the legend of Brynhildr?" he asked out of the blue.

She was thrown off but answered anyways, "No. Not particularly. I've never heard of the name before. I've been meaning to look into it at the library."

"I'm afraid you won't find any books about her," Professor Ozpin shook his head once. "It's not a well-known legend that comes from a time before the Kingdoms and huntsmen. You see, before the Kingdom of Mantle was formed, it was in a constant state of war from a hundred fronts. Tribes fought another for limited resources from a winter that lasted for several years. And these tribes were led not through diplomacy but by the strongest of the pack.

"Brynhildr was a war maiden who ruled as a queen for her tribe. However, she fell in love with another warrior of an enemy tribe. Sadly, it was an unrequited love as the man already had a lover. Still she tried to earn his affection at every opportunity. Nothing worked.

"In the end, Brynhildr became a bitter woman and staged the death of that man. She ended her own life on a broken heart."

She thought there was more to the story. A lesson of some sort. Nothing else came out of his mouth and wouldn't as he sipped on his coffee once more. His eyes were patient, awaiting her response.

"Headmaster…" her voice was strained. "That's rather bleak. Why… Why would you name our team after a story like that?"

"Did you know I used to name teams based on color?" he quirked a brow. "It was only until a few years ago did I start to name teams based off of legends. I figured if the teams had a certain model to base themselves off of, they would either try to achieve the same level of greatness as these figures… or surpass them and avoid their tragedies. That, and it was rather difficult coming up with a name with your team's initials. Now that I have more time, I'm sure I could have found a worthy legend that starts with an R."

He cracked a smile. She didn't return it.

"So that's it?" she searched through his eyes. "Our team name is supposed to be a lesson?"

"Brynhildr gave up her own life because she gave in to despair," he gestured the mug at her again. "All because she chose to chase after a dream that was beyond her reach. She could not change the mind of someone whose heart was already locked in his own ways. She gave up everything out of selfishness. She did not even consider what the loss of her life would mean to the people she led."

Her voice was stuck in her throat. There was a sharpness in Ozpin's eyes. A knowing glint.

They were no longer talking about this woman, she realized.

"Miss Belladonna," his voice was softer and considerate. "You are not the only one chasing after something. I do not believe it is coincidence the four of you came together to make this team. The team you lead are in the same place as you are. I only hope you learn from Brynhildr and not make the same mistakes she did."

He spoke as if he knew this woman.

"I understand, headmaster," she chose to say once their conversation fell into silence. "But… regarding my request…"

"It is only the first day, Miss Belladonna," he said plainly. "I have made more mistakes than any man should ever, but I know for certain making you the leader of Team BRYN is not one of them. Give it time and you will see for yourself."

"Why couldn't you say no at the beginning and save me the trouble?" she groaned.

"Before I am a huntsman, I am a teacher," he said with a crooked smile belonging to someone who was a part of a private joke. "While it is my duty to share my knowledge with the next generation, I cannot simply hand it over on a silver platter. If I gave you a simple answer, you wouldn't have learned anything. Reflect on our conversation. Now I believe Doctor Oobleck will be expecting you in ten minutes. Good day, Miss Belladonna."

He bowed his head at her and resumed his walk down the hallway. His steps were light but there was a hitch whenever he used his right leg. He relied on his cane more than most others would have been able to tell. It indicated he had been with it long enough to fool most others into believing it was but a mere accessory.

A part of her was curios. But she didn't want to pry.

Besides, she had a lot to think about.

0-0-0

After a very long and grueling day of being a mother hen to three of the neediest chicks she had the misfortune of knowing, Blake managed to slip out of their grasp and flee to the furthest reaches of Beacon Academy. She knew they would be looking for her at the library so that was not an option for her. Thankfully she already found a quiet place far away from the dormitories and main campus.

It was taken by someone else.

"Oh, Blake, right?" Jaune looked up at her. He sat against the wall with, of all things, a raven perched on his shoulder.

"Yes," she breathed out. It wasn't a sigh. It wasn't. "Jaune, right?"

"You… also hiding from people?"

She quirked a brow, "Something like that. I take it you're hiding from your teammates?"

"Not exactly," he looked away while stroking the raven absentmindedly. "Just Weiss."

She didn't want to get involved. "Well, I'll leave it to you then. Good luck."

"Wait!" he quickly rose before she could leave. The raven fluttered but didn't get off from its perch. Though it looked annoyed at the sudden movement. "I wanted to ask you something. How do you do it?"

"…Do what?" she asked despite her instincts telling her otherwise. Jaune wasn't her friend. He was the friend of her teammate's sister. And Yang hadn't the privilege yet of being called a friend to Blake.

"Manage your team," he spread his hands out. "I wanted to ask from leader to leader."

She blinked. Her eyes narrowed. "Is that what it looks like to you?"

"Isn't it?" his face and tone was clueless. He took the hint quickly. "But you guys seem to get along so well. I got the impression from what Ren said you all sorted out your problems already. Which means you must be doing something right."

"It's less due to my leadership skills and more like getting a team that just goes with the flow of things," she _did not_ sigh as she pinched at her sinuses. "Honestly, I can't get them to come to any sort of decision without my input."

"That just means they value your opinion," he stated as if it was plain.

"I'd be flattered if they knew anything about me. But they don't. There's no reason for them to wait for me on baited breath. Leadership should be earned, not given like this. They should be questioning every decision I make, not follow me like lost… kittens."

He tilted his head when he noticed her stutter. Why was she talking to him? She should just walk away. She didn't need to spill everything out to him. They were practically strangers.

She found… she couldn't just walk away. She needed to let out all of her frustrations and Jaune was conveniently there to take them. There was something comfortable about telling him things that she dared not to say in front of her teammates. She normally wasn't like this.

Though she questioned it in the back of her mind, she couldn't find a reason to walk away. It was as if another Blake had taken control over her body.

"I guess you don't have everything figured out…" he admitted while scratching his head. The raven pecked at him. He hardly flinched and went to scratch the ridge of its wing. "At least your team listens to you. It feels like all three of my teammates are against me. Pyrrha can't meet my eyes, Ruby mostly does her own thing, and Weiss… I don't think I left a good impression on her."

Well, she can figure out one of those problems. The poor fool hadn't realized Pyrrha Nikos had a schoolgirl crush on him. He would eventually… she hoped.

"It sounded like Weiss especially had a bone to pick with you," Blake shifted her balance onto one leg as she crossed her arms in a loose hold. "She called you a lot of things at the cafeteria earlier. What did you do to her exactly?"

"…I started to change in front of them," he said… but not with regret or embarrassment. It was more out of confusion.

Her eyes went dead. The girls had every reason to against him. The raven shook its head as though aware of his fault.

He misread her expression, "Yeah, I don't get it. I still had my underwear on."

"Are you serious?" she kept giving him the same look.

"Yeah!" he threw up his arms. "Is it just an Atlas thing? Back in Mistral nobody cared if you did that with your bunkmates. I assumed that was how it was here when they put us all in the gymnasium. Guys and girls were changing into their pajamas right in front of everyone else—"

"Stop," she put up a hand. "Yes, I guess you can excuse it for things like that. Or if you're camping in the wilderness as a huntsman. Those things can't be avoided. But behind closed doors in a social environment? You don't just do that, Jaune."

He didn't understand as he stared at her and scratched the top of his head.

The raven seemed to approve of her. It flew off of his shoulder and landed on hers. She craned her head away from the bird and gave it a wary glance. "This thing isn't going to bite me, is it?"

It regarded her with one of its eyes. She could have sworn it was contemplating it.

"Ravens don't bite," Jaune watched the bird carefully. "They lack teeth. If anything, he'll peck you. Just don't try to pet him. It took me forever for him to trust me."

"Jaune… you do realize this is a female raven, right?"

"What? Poe?! Nah. He's totally a male."

The raven, Poe, snapped its head towards Jaune.

"See, he responds to me."

It shuddered where it sat.

"I think you should check your research," Blake eyed the raven once more. "Female ravens are often smaller than the males."

"Shhh!" he put a finger to his lips and tried to hush her insistently. His eyes snapped to the bird's as if it were about to attack. "Don't talk about Poe's size. He's very sensitive about that."

The raven shuddered once more. If it were human, Blake was sure it was shaking its head in disgrace. She wished the bird luck.

"I thought Beacon didn't allow pets on campus," Blake commented. The thing on her shoulders didn't react. She didn't know why she expected it to.

"Poe isn't really my pet," Jaune shrugged. He stepped up and extended his arm at Blake's shoulder. The raven regarded it for a few seconds before hopping over onto his sleeve. Jaune stroked its chest, to which it pecked at his hand. He instead stroked the top of its head and down its spine. It permitted this.

"I was surprised to find him out here," he went on. "I've known him for a long time. He followed me wherever I went in Mistral. I guess it only makes sense he'd follow me all the way to Vale. But how did you get here, Poe?"

The raven flapped its wings and took flight. It flew high over the rooftops and out of sight.

"…Or it could have just been a random raven," he guessed as he watched it fly off.

"I think you should apologize."

"Huh?" he looked down at her.

"To your teammates," she elaborated. "They're upset for something you've done. You won't be able to get over this until you discuss things with them. Admitting you were in the wrong is a good start."

"…Even if I don't think I'm wrong?" he asked with a genuine expression.

"If not for your habits then apologize because you upset them," she pointed out. "And tell them what you told me. Maybe they'll understand. Maybe they won't. You'll never know until you try."

He was quiet as he bowed his head. A few seconds later and he nodded. He smiled brightly at her, "Yeah. I get it. Thanks Blake. See, you're a great leader. Your team's lucky to have you."

She didn't know why but she had the sudden urge to punch him. It had nothing to do with the warmness creeping up her face nor the butterflies in her stomach. It had to be because of that stupid smile of his. It was the enemy of all women everywhere.

"This is just common sense," she denied. "I know how people think, Jaune. It has nothing to do with me being a leader."

"Well, maybe it's because you understand people were you made leader," Jaune suggested casually. "But that's what I don't get. Why be named after Brynhildr if you're considerate of other people's feelings?"

Her eyes widened slightly, "You… know about the legend of Brynhildr? I've never heard it until Professor Ozpin told me the story earlier today. Where'd you hear it from?"

"My, uh, mentor was really obsessed with finding out legends," he spoke in a weary voice as he rubbed the back of his neck. The memory exhausted him. "Famous people of recent events, mythologies, urban legends, heroes from fairy tales— everything she could get her hands on. I was the one who usually had to find some old guy in the middle of the wastelands or grab a tome that would disintegrate in my hands."

To say she was astonished would be an understatement. No one would have expected Jaune to be such an intellectual at first glance. That… or he was just a smarter person's pack mule.

"Professor Ozpin explained it's something of a lesson. That we should learn from Brynhildr and not fall to the same fate as her."

"That makes so much more sense," he said with amazement. He lifted his head and rubbed his palm on his forehead. "The guy we're named after was an asshole. If we're supposed to _not_ be like him, that makes a lot more sense."

"What happened to him?" she asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Some ancient King— capital 'K', apparently— didn't agree with him and tore a hole through his stomach with a mystic arrow."

"…Oh," was all she could say about it. "You know a lot about these people, don't you?"

"Most of them."

"Then what's your take on Brynhildr?" she stepped forward, realizing she had closed the distance between them, and drew herself back.

If he had noticed, he didn't show it. He craned his head back and rubbed the bottom of his chin in thought. "I don't think what she felt was wrong."

"You mean trying to steal a married man?"

"Giving her all for what she loved," he corrected. "Or who, actually. I don't think there was anything wrong with that. It's just _how_ she did it was where she went wrong. The way she loved him poisoned herself and everyone around her. I think if she truly loved Siegfried, she would have supported him or… learn to let him go."

This interpretation spoke to Blake in more ways than she was comfortable with. Was she Brynhildr in this picture and Adam her Siegfried? Or was it the other way around? Who was trying to poison who? Was she the one trying to change his heart or was it him who had been trying to have her see his ways?

Did she _really_ let him go? Or did she run away from him at the operation in Forever Fall?

"Bah," he said suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts. He turned his back on her while messing around with his hair. "Sorry if that was a little heavy. I never get to talk about things like this back in Mistral. Things like _feelings_ were frowned upon."

"Would you happen to know who Pluto was?" she asked next, trying to get her mind off of those thoughts.

"Yeah, that's why I said _most_ of them," he spun back around to face her. "I can tell you about literally everyone else."

She smiled. A second later and she realized it. It shook her. She couldn't recall the last time she smiled. The past few days— no, _weeks_ had been nothing but trying. And even before that… she could hardly remember the last time she smiled. Let alone laughed.

"I think I'll turn in for the night," she said after noticing Jaune looking at her with concern. "My team's probably turning Beacon upside-down looking for me."

"Yeah…" he ran a hand through his hair. "I need to face the music myself. Thanks Blake. I really owe you one. Think we can do this again sometime? Trade notes and all that?"

She found herself actually considering the offer. "Sure. Why not? So long as you keep it a secret from everyone else. I don't want to look for another hiding spot for a while."

"Your secret is safe with me," he put a hand on his chest and gave a dramatic bow. She rolled her eyes but couldn't hold back the smile. "Good luck on your end."

"You too," she said back.

They would have broken off and headed back to their rooms. However… they needed to use the same walkway to get there. Despite the words they shared, they had no choice but to walk together.

"That's right," he coughed. "We live right across the hall from another. This… is awkward."

For reasons she couldn't explain herself, she wasn't bothered by his presence.

0-0-0

It wasn't until she shut the door behind her did she want to bury her face into her pillow and let out a long groan of frustration. What had she been thinking being so casual to Jaune Arc? He was annoying. Why had she agreed to meet up with him again?

"Oh hey there, Blake," Yang glanced up from her scroll. She was on the bed, one leg up and the other spread out, as she sat up against the wall. She said nothing else as she went back to whatever it was she was doing before.

Ren looked up from his book, gave her a nod, and went back to it. Nora was busy with her homework; a crinkled sheet of paper was in her grip while she scratched her head with a pencil. The both of them were sitting on the floor.

It wasn't that they were angry at her for ditching them. Far from it. They were respecting her privacy and welcomed her back as they would anyone else.

"Guys… I have something I need to say."

She didn't know why she said it. But it was done. Everyone's heads turned to her.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," she admitted. "I know nothing about being a leader. I don't even want to be leader. I believe leadership is something that should be earned, and yet it was given to me without merit. I don't know if I'm good enough to have this responsibility."

She was a traitor, after all. How could she be expected to rally them when she had abandoned everything else she once swore to uphold?

"Is that what you talked to Professor Ozpin about?" Yang asked as she slid her legs over the bed's edge.

"It was," she replied. Her head bowed when she couldn't meet any of their gazes. "I'm not comfortable with this. I'm not sure I deserve any of your trust."

"Aw, Blake," Nora giggled at her. "We're all still getting to know each other. We all have our dirty little secrets. Of course you're not going to trust us right away! In fact, I didn't trust you or Yang right away because I was afraid you were going to steal Ren away from me. Still do."

"I think what Nora is trying to say…" Ren spoke up to do damage control. "Any one of us could have been given this burden. Professor Ozpin chose you for some reason and I am going to believe in his decision. And with how you're acting about this, I don't believe you to be the type of person who will disappoint us. I trust you."

 _I trust you_.

Such simple words struck her. She searched his eyes for any sign of deception, of doubt, of _anything_ to prove he was mistaken. But, no, Ren believed in his words.

She looked around. Nora was giving her a broad smile. Yang gave her a thumbs-up.

"You should relax a bit," Yang said with her usual grin. "It's only the first day and you're already having a meltdown? We're new to this too, you know. If we work together as a team, we can get through this. Just talk to us if you ever feel stressed about your leadership duties."

"We will work with you," Ren assured.

"O' captain my captain!" Nora saluted.

"O' captain!" Yang saluted back.

The two girls looked at Ren, who said nothing at first before realizing he was the center of attention. He had a reluctant look on his face as he brought four fingers up to his brow.

"O' captain," he said with less enthusiasm than even Blake would have used. But there was the smallest of smiles on his lips.

"You're all insane," Blake said but couldn't stop a smile of her own forming. "You're right, though. I am stressing too much about this. I'm going to sleep it off and see how I feel about it in the morning."

"Hitting the sack already?" Yang glimpsed at the only clock in the room. "It's barely past seven. You can't possibly need to sleep for twelve whole hours. What are you, a cat?"

Her bow twitched.

"…It's been a long day," she glared at Yang before going to grab her things and slipping into the bathroom. Yang shrugged but didn't say anything further; she went back to checking out her scroll.

Blake stared at the mirror and had her reflection staring back. She barely recognized the face in front of her even when she had seen it more times than she could possibly count. What had changed? Was it when she left home? Was it when she left Adam? Or… was it because she accepted her role as Team BRYN's leader?

She blamed Jaune for this.

…She wondered how he was doing on his end.

0-0-0

Morning came, as it always did. Blake was the first out of the door with the chicks following behind her as usual. Everyone was dressed and ready for a bright new day. And, yes, she _did_ get her twelve hours of sleep and would have loved to sleep longer. But… _Nora_. Enough said about that.

They were barely out of the door as they all stared at the bundle across of them.

"Jaune?" she blinked.

"Huh? Wha?" Jaune rose quickly and tossed the blanket off of him. He was dressed in a plain shirt and… jeans. He yawned loudly before blinking away the sleep to look at them. "Oh hey guys. Good morning. What time is it?"

"What are you doing out here?" Nora asked. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Nora…" Ren breathed out.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "I… uh… got kicked out of the room. They said I had to sleep out here."

The door to his room opened and Weiss popped her head out, "For a week!"

And then slipped back inside and slammed the door shut.

"What did you do?" Blake asked, trying to figure out how things could have gone this badly from their conversation last night. All he had to do was apologize!

"I stayed up late reviewing the classes I missed because of the food poisoning—"

…Food poisoning?

"Weiss helped me all night. She eventually dozed off and I carried her to her bed. I decided to cut it quits there so I joined her."

The hallway was quieter than if it were empty.

Yang whistled soon after. "That's some serious brass there, Arc."

"What do you mean?" he asked with an innocent and clueless glint in his eyes that shouldn't be physically possible. "It was late! I was tired. My bed was across the room and hers was right there! I don't get why she was so angry…"

The door opened right then and there. The girls of Team JWPR stepped out.

"Good morning, Team BRYN," sang Pyrrha in a voice that could make the sun rise no matter what time it was. She smiled and waved at each of them.

Her face became as blank as a porcelain mask when her eyes trailed on over to Jaune. She looked away and began to head out of the corridor.

Even Blake had to wince at that display.

"Hey guys," Ruby waved at them. She then looked over to Jaune. "Hey Jaune. Did you sleep well?"

"Ruby, you shouldn't associate yourself with degenerates," Weiss cut in before Jaune could reply. She was completely nice and welcoming in the next instant. "Good morning to you, neighbors. Would you like to join us for breakfast again?"

"…Sure?" Yang was full of doubt on what to do. She peered over to the rest of her teammates. "You guys cool with that?"

"Breakfast sounds nice," Blake answered.

"Lead the way, O' captain of mine!" Nora pointed down the hallway with a determined look.

Blake's brows fell into a flat line. She swore if this was going to become a routine…

"You may now use the room," Weiss turned to Jaune and handed him a scroll. Probably his. "Be sure to have a proper breakfast and make sure you are on time for class. And make sure you remain at least fifty feet away from me at all times."

"All because we used the same bed?!" he was exasperated. "But we didn't do anything! All we did was sleep! I kept on my side the entire time!"

Weiss flushed and jabbed a finger in his face, "Only _barbarians_ lay with an unmarried woman, you uncultured, backwaters riffraff!"

She huffed and marched away, leaving Jaune to be in complete confusion. He looked over to them with hope in his eyes.

"…You're beyond help," was all Blake said as she walked away. Her chicks (and Ruby) followed dutifully.

* * *

 **Pat reon: Arrixam**


	4. Be Somebody

**AN:** Awwwww sheeeeet. It's chapter 4. Know what that means?!

For those who DO, it's not. I'm sorry to say but the notorious fat fuck won't make an appearance.

I was surprised by the amount of feedback I decided to update one more chapter of this. Thanks guys!

Moving on, I will be working on a few other things for some time. Hopefully I get back to this story by the end of August. Incidentally, today's title was recommended to me. I would have never found it without the support of those down in the Traveler's Roost (Line Chat).

Cheers!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 _ **You're the only one who knows who I really am...**_

"Professor Port," Weiss stepped towards the teacher at the end of her first day of class. She broke apart from Ruby and Pyrrha to have some time to herself. It was only when she was wandering around campus did she find the man gazing off towards a viewing of the Emerald Forest.

"Ah, Miss Schnee," the man turned around but didn't seem at all surprised by her presence. It was almost as if he had been expecting her. Preposterous, but that's what she felt.

"I really enjoyed your lecture," she stated.

"But of course," he took the compliment with gusto. It fluffed him up a bit but then his posture became composed as he eyed her closer. "It would seem something is troubling you. Lay your burdens upon me, young lass. How may I be of assistance?"

It was to be expected from an experienced huntsman. If half of his stories were true (or even a quarter with how dynamically exaggerated they sounded), she should have known he could read through her. But this was fine. It wasn't her intention to hide anything from her. She wanted to approach him for a specific matter that needed to be discussed.

"It's just… well, I believe I should have been the leader of Team JWPR."

There. She stated her intentions with her head held high and eyes locked on with his. She already made a good impression with her demonstration this morning. Now all she had to do was direct the conversation in her favor and Professor Port will discuss her transfer to Professor Ozpin and—

"Preposterous," Professor Port said… as if her declaration was something to be scoffed at.

"Excuse me?" her eyes widened in both indignation and embarrassment.

"I have known Professor Ozpin for many years," he began in a calm voice with a lining of praise and admiration. "And in all that time he has never led me astray. I believe in his decision in making Mister Arc your team leader."

"But that's absurd!" she flushed. "Even you said I am an exceptional huntress."

"With all due respect, your exceptional skill as a huntress is only matched by your poor behavior."

She gasped and flushed further, "How dare you!"

Professor Port was unfazed by her reaction. He remained stoic as he placed his hands behind his back. He was taller than her and his round figure made him seem so much larger when up close. It made for an imposing figure.

There was also a pressure sinking onto Weiss' shoulders that made her think twice about saying the words that came to mind.

"Do you know the legend of Jupiter, Miss Schnee?" he asked in the same exact tone as before it was as if he hadn't noticed her unruly attitude.

The question also caught her off-guard. "I… No, sir. I'm afraid I do not."

"There are quite a large number of celestial entities responsible for the creation of Remnant, if you wish to believe such silly tales. Gods, Rulers, and the Lawmakers. Some were created by people in response to the needs of that time, while others are said to have existed before the World was created.

"Jupiter was one such entity who governed the concept of hierarchy. Everyone and everything had a place in existence. It was his job to place all things where they belonged. And, naturally, he placed himself above all others, including those born as his equal. After all, the one who decides the position of power of all things must be of the highest power in the first place. A king would not bow before a servant.

"But because of this authority, nothing could progress forward. Men would remain men and never be able to touch the heavens, let alone fare any better than all the other beasts of the land. To Jupiter, all physical lifeforms were the same.

"One such man, an ancient King, was most opposed to this Law. His people could never survive against the dangers they faced on a daily basis with Jupiter's decree in effect. And so, he constructed a bow woven out of time and drew an arrow crafted out of space, and delivered a most dolorous blow to Jupiter.

"With Jupiter crippled and forced into an eternal slumber, his authority was weakened. His Law is still in effect to this day, but broken beyond what it originally was. Thanks to this King, man was able to evolve and prove their dominance over the beasts of the land."

Weiss listened without interruption. Her eyes flicked from his left, to his right, to his left again, and then tried to stare at them both at the same time. Nothing else came out of his mouth as he stroked his mustache.

"I see this tale has left you speechless," Professor Port began in his usual pompous tone. "Fear not, Miss Schnee. It is nothing but an ancient legend. Purely fictitious, I assure you! As the saying goes: legend is oft exaggerated. Now, if you want to hear some _real_ stories I could tell you any number of tales about a young, handsome, guile hunter. Me."

"Speechless _is_ one way of saying it…" she drawled, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Professor, I have comments regarding the figure my team is named after."

"Not good ones, naturally," he cleared his throat and stood straighter. "Miss Schnee, I cannot see any other team that fits the personification of Jupiter more than yours."

"Professor Port, I will not stand for this insult!"

"Perhaps you might see it as an insult," he retorted without hesitation. "But I see it as a mere observation. What I see before me is a girl who has been given everything she has ever asked for."

"That's not true!" she argued… for the sake of arguing. He quirked a brow and gave her a knowing look. It made her flush once more and it became hard to match his gaze. "Not… entirely."

"It was arrogance that felled Jupiter, Miss Schnee," he spoke in a firm tone. It was similar to her father's but… softer. Warm instead of cold. "He built everything so that he may be the best in all things. He was so sure nothing below his station could ever hope to challenge him. It was the oppression of his own Law that became his downfall."

"Are you saying our entire team is arrogant?" her eyes narrowed. "That's hardly fair, professor. Our team has hardly been established. With all due respect, you don't know me."

"Rather than trying to better yourself as a person, you come to me to belittle your teammates and especially your team leader," he said in a pointed tone. "No, Miss Schnee, I will admit to not knowing you as a person. But I've been left quite the impression of you as a student. Instead of listening to my lecture, you chose to banter with Miss Rose. Fortunately I salvaged your reputation with the class by having you volunteer when your argument went out of hand."

Her face felt hot. She wasn't sure what part to be ashamed about; the fact he thought so poorly of her or the fact he was always aware of her disagreement with Ruby. The girl had tried to defend Jaune as a leader and Weiss had lost her temper at Ruby's _casual_ comment on what it meant to be a huntsman.

She said she didn't care about the reputation of the team. Maintaining the image of a _proper_ huntsman was everything to Weiss. Jaune was the exact opposite of what Weiss believed in and it irritated her to no end. And he didn't make an effort to correct himself! He shrugged off her comments with that damn smile of his. Ruby was supporting him. Pyrrha tried to stay as neutral as possible to not offend either parties.

The more she thought about it… the more she felt like Jupiter in the story. She was imposing her principles down on others who didn't fully agree with her.

She doubted Jaune would shoot her. However, she couldn't rule out a metaphorical alternative.

"You are not alone, Miss Schnee," Professor Port spoke after Weiss had a moment in thought. "Your teammates are not so different from the early stages of Jupiter. Miss Nikos is a tournament champion and famous across of Remnant. And Miss Rose was permitted to enter Beacon two years in advance. You are all impressive people in your own right. I believe his intentions were good at the start but his pride became the better of him when there was none to challenge him.

"You are not arrogant; you are merely _ignorant._ There lies a distinction. It is up to you to decide whether you follow in the footsteps of Jupiter… or exceed him and learn from his mistake."

"Pardon me, professor, but it's a farfetched coincidence that our team formation just so happens to match both the name and characteristics of this figure," she huffed and placed her knuckles on her hips.

"In my line of experience," his voice turned low and forbidding, "there is no such thing as coincidence. Everything has a reason for what they do."

The shift in his tone startled her. For a moment, her patient instructor had become something… dangerous. She didn't want to be near him but couldn't move.

As fast as it came, it went. His expression went back to what it once was.

"Ponder on this, my dear," he said in a gentler voice. "Decide on what sort of huntress you wish to become. I look forward to whichever path you choose for the next four years."

"…Thank you, professor," she fell back into a habitual grace once realizing he had concluded this conversation. "I will reflect on this. Have a pleasant evening."

He said nothing as he nodded to her and went back to gazing down at the Emerald Forest. His hands were placed behind his back as he stood straight. It almost looked like he was anticipating something rather than admiring the beauty of the sea of green.

Weiss excused herself and walked off without a destination in mind. She had no intention of returning to her teammates after having this engaging discussion. No, not a discussion; she hardly had any point of argument to persuade the flow of things. It had been a lecture, not unlike the kind she would have had with her father. It was mostly one-sided.

Her feet dragged her into the library. It was larger than the one at her family estate, which was necessary as it was needed to cater to the student body. There were two floors with shelves spread across to allow room for anyone to browse without clutter. Desks and tables were placed along the walls, windows, rail of the second floor, and in the back for anyone to use.

She glanced at the poetry section, her nose crinkling not in the variety and quality but rather in her personal choice. She was never fond of poetry. Yet, she found herself pulling a random selection off the shelf and taking it to one of the nearby tables.

She didn't read the contents so much as she flipped through the pages with her eyes scanning from line to line. Her focus wasn't on the literature. Her mind was distracted by the words she shared with Professor Port.

Her team was named after a deity of some sort. One she never heard of. But there was no mistaking the symbolism of the story. He was an egotistical god who had been given the responsibility— no, the _duty_ to use his authority responsibly. In the end, he took advantage of his station to place himself on top while ensuring those beneath him couldn't rise up.

It was a strategy she was familiar with, as loath as she was to admit it. She was aware of the… not-so honorable business dealings of her father. How many smaller businesses had he forced to close? How many smaller shops did he out?

She doubted Professor Port, and Professor Ozpin as well, were thinking of the Schnee Dust Company when considering their team name. _She_ wasn't the center of the team.

Professor Port said she was ignorant… but not necessarily far from the path of arrogance.

She needed to correct this if she were to elude the fate of their team's idol. To start, she must learn about her teammates and understand where they come from. They all had their own stories, after all.

It would be hours until she made her decision. A few books were littered across her table— not a single one she could recite a line on any page. She collected them, took her time placing them back in their respective shelves, and left the library. Her feet took her back to the dorms and towards her room.

She took in a deep breath before swiping her scroll across the panel and allowing her entry.

It was late. The lights were off and she found the figures of Pyrrha and Ruby asleep in their bunks. There was only one glow radiating dimly in the room, so low as to not disturb their slumber.

She saw Jaune using the nightstand as a makeshift desk. He was hunched over with a candle lit at the corner, scribbling away while glancing at a book every so often. The light would have been too low for her to be able to read anything yet Jaune seemed to have no trouble himself. He seemed comfortable with the low light.

He had sensed her enter and lifted his head to gaze up at the doorway. His lips thinned into a fine line as he felt uneasy with her presence. "Hey, Weiss," he spoke quietly and with a bit of timidity. "We were wondering where you were at."

"What are you doing?" she asked with a curious tone.

"W-Well…" he blanched as if he had made a mistake. Was he afraid of her that much? "That cereal this morning made me really sick so I missed a few of my classes. I talked to Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck and they gave me a review of today's lessons. I'm trying to catch up."

It took a moment for his words to register. He… hadn't run away from her at breakfast. The sugar-based processed food had made him sick. It would explain why he hadn't been there for classes. And he made sure to take responsibility for his actions and collect any missing assignments.

She felt awful for thinking so poorly of him.

"Listen… Weiss…" he scratched the back of his head with the butt of his pen as he looked away for a moment. He stared at the floor at first but soon met her eyes. "I get you want this team to be perfect. Nobody wants to be embarrassed. I know I've made some mistakes already… like losing my luggage and not having any school supplies. I'm might not be the team leader you expected but I'm going to try and be the best. I only ask you be patient and help me out whenever something goes wrong. Can I rely on you?"

How dare he? He had stolen her words from her mouth. Well, she didn't lose her luggage and come unprepared for Beacon's academics. But the premise was the same… and the roles reversed. He still stole the speech she mentally prepared herself for.

"How do you take your coffee?" she asked instead. Rather than be upset at having her moment taken away from her, she felt… proud. Yes, proud. Jaune had surprised her with this level of maturity.

He was confused at first but quickly realized her intent. "Uh… I don't, actually. Never got a taste for the stuff. Thank you, though. I won't be long with this."

He smiled at her and went back to his work. She didn't know why but that smile irked her more than his behavior thus far.

"What are you working on?" she breathed out and stepped up near him. Not close enough to touch him but just enough to peer over his shoulder.

She pretended to not see his blush in the dim light, "Just… Oobleck's evaluation quiz."

Ah yes. Their history teacher gave the class a pop quiz on the first day. He wanted to see how much they truly knew about Remnant's general history. Weiss knew she aced the test. Pyrrha was confident though admitted to a few things lost on her. Ruby… was lost on some of the advanced topics. She was missing two years' worth of education and Weiss was going to make sure the girl would catch up quickly.

" _Doctor_ Oobleck," Weiss corrected. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at his answer sheet. "That's wrong, by the way. And that one. That one as well… Jaune Arc, the Great Plague that wiped out two-thirds of Mantle was not _Santa Clause_!"

"She came in from Mistral first and used the silk trade as a means of infecting the rest of Mantle," he shot back at her as if his information was irrefutable. "She created and spread the plague because some villagers called her a witch and killed her only son."

"Santa is a man, you oaf!" she raised her voice and quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. Ruby mumbled something in her sleep, flopped around, and went still. Weiss went back to Jaune, "I don't know where you got your information from but it's all wrong. Move aside. You're supposed to be doing this yourself but I can't excuse this level of ignorance."

Ignorance. The word made her freeze as she leaned forward.

"Wouldn't that be cheating?" he asked. "Oob… Doctor Oobleck might find out. Wouldn't that hurt our team reputation?"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," she berated. "Now, the first thing you need to know is that the Great Plague was believed to have been spread by animals. When the people burned their dogs and cats, it was later believed to have spread by rats. In fact, it wasn't until centuries later evidence proved it was the common flea that housed bacteria inside its bellies. So when there were no more domestic animals around…"

She didn't know how much time went as she helped him with his assignment. She refused to give him the answer outright, much to his complaint. Whenever any question popped up he didn't know, she gave him a lecture revolving around the question and made him deduce the answer on his own.

As the hours passed and her patience grew thin, she threw books at him (almost literally in one instance) and told him to read. She was still there to review his answer and told him to reword it until it was adequate.

His penmanship was… farcical. He only knew print and could only sign his name in cursive. She made a mental note to teach him how to write in script.

She wasn't sure at what point did she doze off. She knelt down and rested her head against the edge of the nightstand, awaiting for when he would finish his answer. She listened to the numbing scratches of his penmanship. It became a lullaby as her consciousness drifted away.

She faintly acknowledged a sense of weightlessness. An eye cracked open and she saw Jaune carrying her in his arms. A second later and he lowered her onto her bed. A sigh escaped her lips and her body relaxed. She was too tired to be flustered by his contact and let herself fall back asleep.

…Until she rolled over and stuck her face in something firm. At first she thought that fool placed her at an awkward angle and she rolled onto the headrest. Her eyes opened a margin to see her position so to adjust herself.

She wound up staring onto Jaune's back. On _her_ bed.

Her scream woke him as well as her two teammates.

0-0-0

"So that's what our name means," Pyrrha stated as she listened to Weiss' story. She had the feeling the white-haired girl had left out a few details such as when she would stammer, pause, and then readjust her wording. Either way, she and Ruby learned a satisfactory amount of information regarding her discussion with Professor Port.

The three of them sat together in the school's training arena. Today they would be spending half of their school day with Professor Goodwitch for combat training. The arena was a stage at the front center of the spacious room with a set of raised, crescent-shaped stands for the students to watch at a safe distance. Students were out of their uniforms and donned with their battle armaments.

"Guys…" Jaune called to them a few rows down. Most of the students turned their heads towards him. "Can I come over there? I feel like we should talk strategy…"

"Fifty feet, Arc!" Weiss snapped at him. Heads turned to her but she was unfazed. "Move further away! You're forty-eight feet from me!"

"How can you even tell?!"

She didn't reply; she only glared at him. Heads turned back to Jaune to see what he would do. Unlike Weiss, he recoiled at their attentive staring. He looked down at his feet, grumbled something too low for their group to hear, and asked the next person over if he could switch seats with them. They smirked but complied.

"I almost believed him last night too…" Weiss returned to her pleasantry once the matter was settled. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. That's what Professor Port told me. What do you think?"

"Don't you think it's a little bit… mean?" Ruby asked. "You know, to be named after someone like that? What were the teachers thinking?"

"In what's best for the students," Pyrrha gave her two cents. "There's a lesson in this story, Ruby. Jupiter was bested by the very thing he sought to prevent. I think the moral of the story is to not be ashamed of a bit of humility. Nobody's untouchable, after all."

She wanted to believe in that. Pyrrha was a little shaken by how close the tale of Jupiter spoke to her. She was the best fighter in Mistral— short of any professional huntsman, of course. But even then she was confident she could hold her own against an experienced field operative. She was the top of her class and won every single tournament she entered. She was famous throughout all of Mistral and most corners of the other kingdoms.

She thought running away to Beacon and starting fresh would ease the burden of fame. She had been horribly wrong. She was regarded as a celebrity whenever she walked through the city of Vale and the other students talked about her behind her back.

She had yet to meet a challenge in combat. She was hoping to find something here in Beacon. But her experienced eye told her there would be very little to offer from the rest. Not even from the upper-year students. She had been mentally evaluating the teachers at this point.

It was at this point did Jupiter's story jar her. She wasn't untouchable, she had to remind herself. Something unexpected could knock her off her pedestal.

She secretly hoped it would.

Now, if she was placed in this team for this sole purpose, what then did it mean to the rest of her teammates? She could safely assume from what she knew about Weiss' upbringing as well as the story she told about Professor Port, the girl was placed on the team due to being the heiress of the planet's largest dust corporation. That much was a given and fit with the theme of their name.

But what of Ruby and Jaune? Ruby had impressed the headmaster and had been allowed to skip two years ahead to attend Beacon. That _might_ find reason to be in Team Jupiter. But Jaune? She knew nothing about him. Nothing.

She knew he _wasn't_ from any of the academies, as much as he tried to convince her otherwise. There were too many inconsistencies in his story.

"Do you think it's like that with the other teams?" Ruby asked next. "I mean, they're all named after historic figures."

"Legendary," Weiss corrected. "There is little to no base of evidence anyone they're named after existed in Remnant in the first place. And to answer your question, I wouldn't excuse the possibility. If our name is used as an example, then who is to say the other teams aren't undergoing their own trials?"

Pyrrha looked around at the other teams. She could easily spot the set of four students that were paired together based on how they interacted with another. Her team was one of the few exceptions who engaged with other teams, such as Team BRYN. Everyone was still new and trying to get to know their own teammates so it was within reason they've yet to branch out. And, by the looks of things, most of them were either ignorant of their team names, curious but not driven, or driven into hysteria over it.

She will admit she had a lick of curiosity herself. But most of her worries were focused around schoolwork and trying to not stand out so much.

"I think everyone is trying to figure themselves out," she stated, mostly for the sake of carrying on with the conversation. "I'll admit it's strange how our team moniker just so happens to fit with a conveniently themed figure. Are you sure it's not just some story to drive us? We could have been paired with anyone here and have an entirely different name."

"There are no such things as conveniences," Weiss muttered, more to herself than to either of them. She lowered her head and tapped a slender finger at her chin.

Pyrrha exchanged a look with Ruby. The younger girl shrugged. She was just as clueless.

The stands started to quiet down as Professor Goodwitch strode out of the stage exit and move towards the center. She stopped at dead center, turned sharply on her heels, and gazed up at the students. She didn't say a word and everyone fell silent.

"Good afternoon," she stated in a plain voice but demanded their full attention. "I am Professor Goodwitch and I will be in charge of monitoring your progress through combat oriented training. Before we begin, I will first share a set of rules you will be following for the duration of the year."

Behind and above her, a large screen flickered to life. On it displayed a list of things, faceless portraits of Student A and B, and fake statistic and gauges.

She did not need to gesture to the screen as she went on, "Like the rest of the teachers here in Beacon on your first day, I will be evaluating your skill to better understand how future lectures will engage. I will be calling up two students at a time to spar another until the meter analyzing your Aura capacity drops into the red zone. The fight _will_ cease once I call it off."

The cold look in her eyes was the only warning the students would receive for the remainder of the year. They said the lowest pits of hell was a frozen wasteland. It was in her eyes.

"I will place no restrictions in your methods of fighting aside from no firearms within this class," she went on, pausing to let some of the students groan. "I encourage all students to fight to their fullest so I understand what I will be working with. Now then. Jasmine Butterscotch and Roy Harper, to the stage."

Pyrrha and the rest of the audience watched as two students from different teams descended down the steps, shared a few nervous words to another, and began to fight at Professor Goodwitch's signal.

It was sloppy. They were too worried with trying to impress their peers… or trying to not embarrass themselves. Even if she had never seen the two before, Pyrrha knew they weren't fighting at their best.

It concluded. Professor Goodwitch dismissed them and called up two more students. The cycle continued a few more times. It wasn't until the fourth pair stepped up did some more casual banter break the ice. It eased the tensions of the opponent as well as the atmosphere in the room.

"Pyrrha Nikos. Zain Mazda."

It was her time. And against Jaune's 'friend' of all people. She took a quick glance towards the side. Jaune looked back at her. His expression was… wary. Concerned. He was worried.

With the way he acted about Zain, she doubted it was for him. Then… did that mean he was worried for her? And why?

She did not make Professor Goodwitch wait. She moved down the aisle and descended onto the stage. Zain was there before her. He wore padded leather armor and carried no weapons.

"Just my luck," he gave her a toothy smile as he shrugged. "I get paired up with Invincible Nikos. I wonder which of the Brothers I pissed off this time."

She was beyond flushing at the nickname countless others had called her. It had originally been a name she took with pride. She earned it. But now it was something that separated her from the rest of her peers. Just like now, this boy thought he didn't stand a chance against her before blows were exchanged.

She didn't want to be on this pedestal. She didn't want to be idolized. She decided she was going to hold back, despite the professor's wishes. She couldn't stand others glorifying her and keeping their distance. Never again.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," she tried to dissuade his comment with a smile of her own. "It was mostly luck that got me this far."

"Yeah, and I'm sure Monty will return one day," he rolled his eyes in front of her.

"I'm sorry…?" she didn't understand the reference.

"If you two are done…" Miss Goodwitch glanced at them both. Zain was one of the few students who brushed off her cold stare. He fell into a brawler's stance— legs spread, body low, fists raised to counter and assault. Pyrrha fell into a stance of her own— body equally as low with her shield raised and spear peering over.

"Begin!"

Zain initiated the fight as soon as Professor Goodwitch gave the signal. He tried to get around her flank, immediately spotting the least defensive spot in her stance. It was where her shield could be used to protect her but limited on how she could use her spear. Her defense was absolute— there'd be no getting around it, but he could at least limit her reactions.

Limit. As in delay her for no more than half a second.

Innumerable hours' worth of experience against trained fighters kicked in. Her body moved on its own as if this were just another simulation. It was almost as if she had fought this opponent a dozen times before. She threw her shoulder into her shield to ram into him. It hit him in the shoulder and shoved him away from her. He caught his balance and kept trying to swerve around her.

She moved away from him and brought her spear around. He ducked under it and launched himself forward as she was finishing her swing. Reeling it back to use against him would have been amateurish. She relied on her shield.

At the last second, he slid on his knees and went under her shield. He meant to sweep her legs but she was already moving to avoid that. She didn't hop over him but rather made sure at least one leg was planted onto the floor as his leg swept under her. She spun on her heels to make sure he remained at her front. He used the momentum of his sweep to not only land on his feet but to also bring his fist around.

She raised her shield to block it and brought her spear around at the precise moment of impact. It was at the time where his fist landed with the force still spreading throughout her shield. He couldn't dodge or reel himself back. His eyes traced the movement of her spear. His body tensed as he tried to move away. But it was too late.

The shaft of her spear made contact with the side of his head. She saw his eyes squint and face warp at the blow. He fell to the side.

She drew her spear back and awaited for him to rise back up.

Zain put one hand on the ground and slowly rose up… before falling back down. He groaned out something incoherent; ramblings of something that only made sense to him in his state of delusion. He flipped himself around to sit on his rear. His head bobbled around a few times as his eyes crossed without focus.

She didn't hit him _that_ hard… maybe. She was so focused on the fight she forgot to hold back. She meant to disarm him and draw some space away. But she outright disoriented him.

"Someone please take Mister Mazda to the infirmary," Professor Goodwitch spoke up. "Make sure the nurse checks for a possible concussion."

She didn't hit him that hard! He had Aura protections! She felt it!

Two students came down in a hurry. Two girls, who took Zain by each arm, and carried him away with his feet dragging against the ground. They made sure to glare at her before heading off.

She bowed her head and refused to look at anyone as she made her way back to the stands. Ruby and Weiss cheered her on in their own way; the former was excited while the latter acted as if she was the one who had triumphed. Pyrrha knew she replied to them but couldn't put her heart into it. She couldn't remember what she said but it was enough to dissuade them.

More battles took place. Pyrrha couldn't pay much attention to them. She felt the staring around her. When she looked, others looked away. They pretended to watch the bouts as much as she was but she heard the whispers around them.

She didn't want to show off. But she had managed to end her fight quicker than anyone else and with a single blow. Her performance had transcended anything anyone could do at the moment. Even when she was the exact same age as everyone else (sans Ruby).

She had failed to make herself seem even a remotely bit relatable to her fellow first-years.

"Cardin Winchester. Jaune Arc."

The title 'Ice Queen's Dog' was heard somewhere in the crowd followed by a few jeers. It was enough to snap Pyrrha out of her thoughts. The attention was drawn away from her as Jaune made his way to the stage along with another boy. The students this time snickered among themselves and made pointed looks at Weiss.

Jaune's opponent was a young man slightly taller than him and much more muscular. He wore heavy armor and his weapon of choice was a two-handed bladed mace. Confidence oozed out of him enough to be borderline arrogance. He smiled down at Jaune.

"You're not gonna run away, are you?" his opponent, Cardin, snorted at Jaune.

"From you?" Jaune looked at him from head to toe and back again. The hand that always rested on the hilt of his sword fell to his side. "Why would I? I've fought bigger. Better too."

The crowd wooed.

Cardin drew his weapon and readied himself. He gave a single dry laugh, "I know you. You're the guy who barfed ten times on the way here. You also screamed like a little girl at the initiation. And you ran away from someone half your size yesterday morning."

"Have you met Weiss?!" Jaune threw his arms up. "She's as terrifying as a King Taijitu who had their eggs smashed! Of course I'd run away from that! I'd like to live the next day!"

Pyrrha heard Weiss take in a long, deep breath.

"Enough banter," Professor Goodwitch cut them off. "Begin!"

Cardin raised his weapon. Jaune didn't reach for his.

"Draw your weapon," Cardin snarled.

"That's a terrible idea," Jaune shook his head. He made no move to defend himself. He didn't take a stance to attack. He just… stood there.

"I'm going to kill him…" Weiss muttered beneath her breath.

"Jaune…" Ruby whispered behind clenched fists.

Professor Goodwitch did not intervene despite Cardin looking at her. She watched the exchange with as an uninvolved observer should.

"Coward!" Cardin hissed back at Jaune.

"Hey now," Jaune seemed offended. "Cowards are the ones that survive more than knuckleheads who charge straight into the fray without a plan. I'll survive better just the way I am, thank you."

Did he honestly think he would be fine without his weapon? The match was still going on. Yes, it would be dishonorable to attack an unarmed man— Cardin knew this principle just as well and that was the reason for his hesitation. But it wasn't enough. Professor Goodwitch didn't call off the match.

"Fine then!" Cardin had enough. He adjusted the grip on his mace and started to charge at Jaune. His feet stomped on the floor as he lifted his weapon up to strike down on Jaune.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha leapt to her feet when he still refused to defend himself.

Calmly, with an unburdened grace, Jaune took a few steps forward as though he were walking through a park. Cardin reached him and brought his weapon down.

But Jaune twisted his body to the side at the last second and kept walking forward. His hand gripped onto Cardin's wrist at the conclusion of his swing. Something happened in that grip and Cardin let out a startled yelp of pain. Jaune kept walking forward… with Cardin's weapon now in his hand.

As he passed Cardin, he kicked at the back of his right knee. Cardin lost his footing and fell forward. He rolled around and tried to quickly get back onto his feet. He rose to plant one foot on the ground and the other leg down on its knee.

When he turned to face Jaune, his face was met with his own mace. Jaune had spun around sharply to build as much momentum as possible in such a short amount of time. He tossed the mace back at Cardin while he was still down.

A loud thud echoed across the room as Cardin's head snapped back hard enough to knock him onto his back. A flicker of light radiated off his skin before blinking out.

In an instant, Cardin's Aura had dropped into the red on the monitor. He was out cold.

"Team LCDR, please escort your teammate to the infirmary," Professor Goodwitch called out to the stands. "Have him tested for a possible concussion. That's the third one today…"

Due to the size of Cardin Winchester, his entire team had to show up to carry his body out of the arena.

"So… can I…?" Jaune looked at Professor Goodwitch and stuck his thumb over his shoulder, pointing back at the stands.

"Yes, Mister Arc," she said bluntly. "You may return to your seat."

Just like with Pyrrha, the students were talking about Jaune. He had been able to defeat his opponent in a single strike as well. And he had been able to do it without a weapon. If anything, he had outright humiliated Cardin with this battle. He was aware of their staring and not-so-discreet conversations about him. He was bothered by the sudden attention and tried his best to not show it.

"Miss Nikos, do you have something to say?"

She blinked when she looked down at Professor Goodwitch. The woman had a raised brow and an expectant look. Pyrrha was lost for a few seconds until she realized she was still standing. She blushed, apologized, and sat back down.

The class resumed without pause. Professor Goodwitch called on the next set of students. The rest of Team JWPR wasn't called. Time had passed and their instructor told them evaluation will continue during next class. The class was dismissed and everyone went into the locker rooms to change back into their school uniforms.

All the while, Pyrrha couldn't stop thinking about Jaune.

Maybe… she wasn't as alone as she believed.

0-0-0

"Ozpin, you said I should report anything mentionable to you, correct?"

Glynda Goodwitch stood in front of the desk of her employer. The man had turned off the hologram screen full of documents that needed his attention as headmaster. He leaned back in his chair after grabbing onto his mug of coffee. He didn't drink from it as he looked at her.

"That's correct," he concurred. "No matter how little it may be. Did you see something today, Glynda?"

"During my class today with the first-years," she stated. "A Mister Jaune Arc of Team JWPR fought against Cardin Winchester of Team LCDR. Mister Winchester's weapon of choice was a mace. Mister Arc chose to neglect his sword and shield. Winchester was disarmed, knocked off balance, and sent to the infirmary when Arc threw it back at him."

Ozpin nodded once, "I'm aware of the report from Professor Peach and her nursing staff. A blow like that against another Aura-enhanced individual is enough to leave him unconscious. Tell me what I'm missing here."

"It was the timing," she adjusted her glasses. "Mister Arc threw the weapon _before_ he saw what direction Mister Winchester would turn. The positioning in which Winchester fell would have him turning to the right. But Arc threw the mace to the left and Winchester just so happened to rise up at the precise time in the most unorthodox manner.

"It was as if Mister Arc knew the weapon would make contact before throwing it."

Ozpin didn't say anything at first as he cradled the mug with both hands. He turned his chair around to face the window. His eyes stared towards the shattered moon. His thumb played against the rim of his beverage as the silence dragged on.

"How likely is it…?" he asked quietly. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to reply. "What are the odds something like that appears when we have Amber in our care? What are you planning this time?"

"Sir…?"

He turned back to her, "Thank you, Glynda. I'll ask the other staff to pay attention to Team JWPR from now on. I need to make sure before we jump to conclusions."

"If I may ask, does Mister Arc have something to do with the Fall Maiden?"

Ozpin was quiet again. Shorter, but more foreboding than before. "If he is what I think he is… he might be an omen for things to come. Please bring Peter immediately."

0-0-0

"I think I'll keep Jaune company this time," Pyrrha said.

It was lunch time. While Weiss and Ruby were planning on dining with Team BRYN again, she spotted Jaune all by himself a few tables down. He was chewing away on a sandwich and sipping on a carton of chocolate milk. No one was approaching him. No one was using the table despite it being so long and capable of filling three teams.

"You shouldn't coddle him," Weiss spoke her mind. "He needs the distance to reflect on his poor decisions. Any form of leniency will make him believe what he did is fine."

"He said he was sorry…" Ruby stated in a low voice. She eeped when Weiss gave her a frosty glare. "Jaune doesn't seem like a bad guy! Maybe misunderstood? He didn't do anything to you… right?"

"Ruby, if he was found on your bed, I think your sister will have a few words for him. With her fist."

Pyrrha wasn't ignorant to notice the level of admiration Jaune had for Weiss. She was upset for reasons she herself can't explain when Weiss woke them up in the middle of the night. Those feelings lingered throughout most of the morning. She could barely look at Jaune. Now though?

"He's our teammate," Pyrrha spoke up. " _And_ our team leader. We should give him the benefit of a doubt to let him explain himself. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

"What would you do if you found him in your bed, Nikos?" Weiss asked with narrowed eyes.

Pyrrha's face blazed at the thought. She imagined waking up with Jaune's sleeping face in front of hers. Their bodies close enough to feel each other's warmth. Maybe his arms wrapped around her waist. Their legs locked together. Her head nuzzled in his chest. The scent of his breath reaching her. Her slowly moving her way to his lips to taste—

"Exactly," Weiss huffed. "What he did was… primitive. It's bad enough we have to bunk with him. I don't know how the other teams manage mixed gender rooms."

Pyrrha looked away from the two in order to calm herself down. What had she just thought? About Jaune of all people?! She never had these thoughts before about any boy. Sure, there were a few that she fancied before. Crushes weren't unknown to her. And she admired the occasional celebrity with a beautiful body. But she never dreamed of lying in the same bed as them!

She glanced at Jaune in the corner of her eye. He continued to eat his sandwich with a bored expression. The look on his face broke the fantasy in her mind. It eased her rampaging heart.

"It's only lunch," Pyrrha insisted. "I think I'll be fine with him for that long."

Weiss' eyes fell flat. She exchanged a look with Ruby. The younger girl quickly looked away and shuffled around where she stood. Weiss rolled her eyes and returned to Pyrrha.

"If that's what you want, I won't stop you. We'll be over there. We'll be able to see if he does anything untoward you."

Pyrrha put up her best smile, "I think I can handle myself if he does."

Weiss couldn't argue with the statement. After all, nobody could mess with _Invincible Nikos_. With a nod, Weiss carried her tray towards the table occupied by Team BRYN.

Ruby lingered behind to whisper to Pyrrha, "Tell Jaune I said hi. And that I miss him."

Pyrrha giggled, "I'll be sure to tell him."

The younger girl smiled brightly and hurried away before Weiss caught on.

Pyrrha then headed over to Jaune's table. As she passed by a few tables, she pretended to have not noticed the way some of the students stopped their conversations to gawk at her. Some didn't even try to hide their pointed fingers and whispers of awe. Some even sneered with jealousy.

She ignored them and headed straight to Jaune with a determined focus.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked once she was near him.

Jaune looked up, still chewing. His brows shot up with surprise. Still chewing, he turned his head straight towards the table their team and friends were using. He then went back to Pyrrha… and continued to chew.

She waited patiently with a warm smile for him to finish.

"Yeah, sure," he said. He swallowed and quickly corrected, "I mean, no! Seat's not taken! Welcome to _Chez D'Arc_! Reservations are booked as far as half a year but the party of four today just canceled. I can fit in a pretty lady like yourself."

She giggled when he wagged his eyebrows at her. She took her seat and ripped open the plastic wrap containing her disposable utensils. Jaune said nothing as he sipped on his milk… even as there was nothing left and his straw continued to make noise. He shook it and sipped it again.

"I think there's nothing left," she said.

"Sorry. Was that bothering you?" he placed the carton away as if it was a large offense to her.

"N-No," she shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I was just… Never mind."

"Right, sooooo…" he drawled out while drumming his hands on the table a few times. "Pyrrha! How's it going? Been a while since I've seen you."

"You're right," she smiled softly at him. "It has been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry for my untoward behavior this morning. I think you deserved enough from Weiss."

"I think it was just a really bad misunderstanding," he propped an elbow so he could scratch his brow and rest his head at the same time. "One of the things I learned in Mistral was to always be prepared to move. Sometimes we didn't have enough beds prepared when we stopped so we had to bunk with others. Then again… it was with the same people I've known for years. Weiss and I are still technically strangers."

She listened to his explanation without judgment. She nodded, now understanding where he was coming from. "It's not so different from what I was taught. Do you know why Beacon had everyone sleep together in the gymnasium? Boys and girls together? On the field, things like gender taboos are the least of your concerns."

"Exactly!" he leaned forward and pointed a finger at her. His eyes lit up, "I mean, that's why they're fine with pairing mixed genders on the same team _and_ shoving them into a small room."

"But that doesn't mean you should neglect your teammate's space," Pyrrha cut in before he could get carried away. "You and I might be accustomed to these sorts of things but I can't speak for everyone else. I think you should give Weiss some space and let her get to know you first. And _not_ sleep in her bed when there's one available for you."

She added that last part quickly.

Jaune hummed to himself in thought. She left him to his thoughts as she began her meal. He continued to eat his sandwich.

"I'll apologize to her when she calms down," he said between bites.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you if you properly explain yourself," she returned peacefully.

"Are you and Ruby mad at me, by any chance?"

"No," she insisted. "I'll admit I was a little… startled. But you never struck me as a…"

"Perv?"

"Deviant. You haven't done anything untoward any of us. You've been a gentleman. I think it's an admirable trait to be aware of your teammates' feelings and concerns. You're just trying to not step on anyone's toes, aren't you?"

"Yeah…" he gave a long sigh. "But every time I try to avoid yours and Ruby's, I wind up stepping on Weiss' instead."

"Maybe you're trying too hard?" she laughed lightly. "Jaune, it might not mean much but you can rely on me a little bit. If you're stressed about anything, I'll always be willing to listen and help."

"Isn't that what you're doing already?"

She blinked before her smile grew, "I suppose it is."

"Thanks, Pyrrha," he said and she felt how much he meant by it. "You've been there for me even before initiation. Let me know if something ever bothers you. It's the least I can do."

"…There is one thing," she began. Honestly, she didn't think to take advantage of this situation until something crossed her mind. "I was wondering… if you'd be willing to spar with me sometime."

" _Por qua_?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"It means 'but why'," he answered while shoving the rest of his sandwich into his mouth. He shrugged, "Least that's what I heard. It's a dead language. Anyways, yeah, sure. I'd be more than happy to train with you. I was just curious as to why."

His fighting style. It wasn't a method typically found in any of the huntsman's program. His level of experience against Grimm was too much for an average student. She would have understood if he claimed to have grown up in a village constantly besieged by Grimm and needed to learn to protect it. But, again, the inconsistencies with his story didn't match up.

"I feel like we didn't get much out of today's lessons," she found an excuse and clung to it. "You didn't draw your weapon because you looked down on Cardin, did you? You did it because it would have put you at a disadvantage."

Her eyes searched through his, trying to read him.

She found him staring back, doing much of the same… and much, much more. While she prided herself in being able to understand people— a necessary trait when being a prized fighter— he was far better at it than her. It shone in his gaze and he didn't dare to hide it.

"He uses a blunt-force weapon and is decked out in heavy armor," he explained, though by the tone of it he already knew she knew. "My sword would be useless against him. Even if I were to find the gaps in his armor, his Aura would protect him. My shield would do little against that mace. Using my bare hands was the best option."

She nodded in agreement, "I would have used Miló to poke at his weak points and wear him down. Maybe go for the knees and make him surrender with the blade pointed at his exposed neck."

He nodded a few times back, "You know, I expected more out of him. I was taught to never underestimate an opponent. They might be hiding an ace up their sleeve when you least expect it. Cardin was all bravado at first glance. I mean, it's better to fear a genius disguised as a fool rather than a fool disguised as a genius."

"Is that why you ended it quickly?"

"I seemed to have overestimated him," he said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to hurt the guy. I just thought that, you know, he'd put up a much better fight."

"That technique you used to disarm him…" she recalled when he grabbed onto Cardin's wrist. "Do you think you can teach it?"

"Sure," he propped his elbow again and pointed at his wrist. "There's this nerve right here that when pushed in makes the whole arm flare up with pain. There's also one behind the thumb and— You know what, I'll show you when we train. When do you want to start?"

"Would tonight be too quick?" she tried to make her smile seem humble.

"Hmm…" he exaggerated a thoughtful look. "I don't know. I have a full schedule of absolutely nothing. But because it's you, Pyrrha, I can move my nine o'clock to tomorrow."

"I greatly appreciate it," she giggled at him. "My, don't I feel special. You're always making room for me. Would you do this for any girl, Jaune?"

"Only the really pretty ones," he wiggled his brows again.

She laughed again… and tried to hide her blush. "I'll be ready fifteen before the hour. I happen to know a good spot on campus for us to work out."

"Cool!" he said with an eager grin. He quickly fell as he thought to himself, "I suppose then I can do laundry afterwards."

"Didn't you do laundry yesterday?"

"Yeah, but when you only have one spare change of clothes, you kinda have to wash it all the time."

She frowned at that, "You know… if you're having trouble I don't mind pitching in for you to buy a few spare—"

"No, no!" he shook his head and waved a hand across of her. "This is only temporary. I have some money lying around. I planned on going shopping this weekend, you know, when there's no classes to worry about. I think I can live a few more days with my tattered clothing."

She recalled how in combat training he wore the same pair of jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie he had used during initiation. Clothes that also doubled as his sleepwear. Tripled as street attire.

"I didn't make it worse, did I?" she asked. At his blank expression, he explained. "Your sweatshirt. You said you didn't use any Aura to protect yourself against my spear in initiation. Did that mean I punctured a hole through your sweatshirt?"

"Oh yeah, it snagged around the collar and out the back," he suddenly recalled as if it was nothing. "It's fine. It's nothing serious. Just a little tear."

"As soon as classes end, make sure to give it to me," she said in a firm voice. "I'll patch it back up and give it back to you for our training session."

"You don't need to do that."

"No, but I want to. Consider it a fair trade since you're showing me that grappling trick."

"I was going to teach you anyways."

"And I'm going to repair your sweatshirt _anyways_ ," she mirrored his tone.

He gave up and thanked her.

0-0-0

There. Her homework was done and the maintenance on her weapons completed. It was a good hour before Pyrrha would have practice with Jaune. A part of her felt excited. She wanted to test Jaune. She wanted to see how strong and skilled he really was. She selfishly hoped he was better than the ones she fought in tournaments. She hoped he could push her.

But until then, she had a sweatshirt to sew up.

Sewing wasn't exactly a special skill of hers, but patchwork and minor repairs she could do. It was necessary to learn in the line of a huntsman. Having a wardrobe malfunction during combat typically meant more death than embarrassment.

She hated how he underplayed the gash she created. She could stick her entire hand through the slit of his sweatshirt. She went to work immediately, holding the fabric in one hand while her other threaded a pattern across the tear. Her mind became numb as she worked quietly.

It was peaceful. Weiss was in the library checking a thesis presented by Professor Peach, Ruby was hanging out with her sister across the hallway, and Jaune… well, she didn't know what he was up to but he wasn't allowed back in the room after nightfall for the remainder of the week. Or at least until he properly apologized to Weiss. He won't be here until their appointed time.

On another note, Pyrrha spoke to Weiss on his behalf. The heiress agreed to accept his apology so long as he made an effort to not do it again… and listened to the long list of rules she would be composing. It was a little extreme but Pyrrha helped Jaune out as much as she could. The rest was up to him.

She finished before she knew it. She felt… disappointed in some way. There was plenty of time left until their appointment. She had nothing else to do as she held onto his sweatshirt.

Hmm. The same sweatshirt he had worn this morning.

It smelled like him. He didn't break a sweat during training class but his natural body odor left an impression on the fabric. The sweatshirt was so large compared to her.

It wouldn't hurt… would it? She glanced at the door and then at the window. Both were locked.

She put it on, popping her head through and slipping her arms into the sleeves. He wasn't that much taller than her but the size of it made her feel small. It wasn't tight around the chest. If anything, it was a little baggy considering it was a man's sweatshirt and built for his size and muscle mass. Jaune wore it to fit snuggly on his chest but to her it was almost like a tent.

Her arms wrapped around herself. The sweatshirt was… comforting. And with the smell of him on it, it felt like he was hugging her. She inhaled. It was nice.

She fell to her side as she drew her legs up onto the bed. Her head lowered so she could nuzzle her nose into the collar. Her body hunched into a ball with her knees up to her chest. The sweatshirt had now turned into a blanket.

"This… is nice…" she said in a dreamy voice. She hummed to herself as she breathed it in some more. Her knees started to rub together. Her cheeks flushed.

 _What would you do if you woke up with him in your bed?_

It felt unsatisfying. As warm, cozy, and intoxicating as the sweatshirt was, it wasn't Jaune. She shut her eyes and imagined what it would be like to have him sleep with her. No touching. Just basking in each other's presence. Enjoying each other's warm. Maybe… maybe a little bit of touching. Cuddling. Him holding her close as he whispered soft assurances to her. Telling her how pretty she was again and again like he always did. Telling her how special she was to him.

Her hand reached between her thighs. She didn't notice.

"Jaune…" she whispered in this daydream. Saying his name sent a wave of euphoria through her. A wave too much like the one she felt the other day, when he had offered his Aura to her. A soft moan escaped in her throat.

"Jaune… Jaune… Jaune… Jaune!"

The more she said his name, the greater the feeling came. She wasn't this kind of girl. She shouldn't be doing these sorts of things while dreaming of a boy she hardly knew. Hardly a few days had gone by and yet she was doing _this_. Yet, every time she said his name out loud, something deep in her core stirred. It grew in tenacity, wriggling around and teasing her.

It was his Aura, she realized. His Aura still lingered within her.

More. She needed more. She needed more of his Aura. She wanted to have that feeling again when they were in the Emerald Forest. She wanted to have _him_ enveloping her. Not this stupid, unresponsive sweatshirt that had his stench.

Soon. They were going to train soon. She could use that as an excuse. She will push him to his limits until she broke a sweat. And then use that as an excuse to recharge. His Aura will flow through her and she will reach that electric jubilation again.

But until then, the sweatshirt will have to do.

0-0-0

"You can't go in there!" Ruby pressed her back against the door and held her arms wide.

"Well, duh," Jaune threw his arms up. "I'm waiting for you to open the door for me. Why'd you slam it all of a sudden?"

Ruby's face was burning up and her eyes wide. Jaune had swung by Team BRYN's room to ask her for permission to enter. He apparently had some shindig or something with Pyrrha. She thought it was fine so went along with it in a hurry. She still had to beat Yang's butt… after coming back from a 0-7 losing streak.

When Ruby opened the door, she saw Pyrrha.

And slammed it immediately afterwards.

"No reason!" was the first thing she blurted out. It was a poor excuse so she had to think of something quick. "It's messy. You know. Girl stuff all over the place. Like makeup and fashion magazines. Stuff you don't want to see."

He didn't believe her. But he also couldn't find a reason to argue, "Alright, if you say so. Did you happen to see Pyrrha in there? She and I are supposed to be training."

Ruby shook. She didn't know what to do. Why did Pyrrha have to do _that_ of all times? Didn't she have her own room for— oh, wait…

"S-She's cleaning it as we speak," Ruby dared to not look at him in the eye. Especially when she heard Pyrrha call out his name. "You should at least give her…"

How long did it take Yang whenever she had her, uh, 'study time'? Well, today was Wednesday. It was a little after nine. Jaune was roughly six feet tall. Carry the two…

"At least f-fifteen minutes!" she blurted out after counting with her fingers.

"I… I guess…" he said with a skeptical expression. He scratched the back of his head but turned away to give her some breathing space. Which she took gratefully as she gulped a massive amount of much needed air.

They stood there awkwardly for the longest fifteen minutes of her life. She wasn't sure if she should engage in conversation or run back to Yang's room. Jaune wasn't helping either. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He looked at her every so often and she quickly averted her gaze.

"Has it been fifteen minutes yet?" he asked after a good amount of time passed.

She dreaded every moment when she reached for her scroll to check the time. It was twenty passed nine. She wanted to tell him not enough time had passed. But…

"Oh, good," he said and went up to their door. He gave it a few knocks, "Pyrrha, it's me. Are you ready to head out?"

"J-Jaune!" Ruby all but threw herself at him to get him away from the door. "Pyrrha will be out when she's ready!"

There came a beeping noise followed by a click. With one hand pressed against his chest, she had moved her other hand away to act as an anchor to push off against the wall. Her scroll was still in that hand. Evidently it was close enough for the panel that unlocked their door. The locks were undone and the door swung open lazily.

"Pyrrha, come on," Jaune called out as stepped into the room. Ruby's feet were dragging against the carpet as she tried to put all her weight against him. But it was like trying to stop a truck! "Huh."

Huh. What was huh? Was Pyrrha's life over?!

Ruby slowly turned her head around with dread. But… come to her relief, Pyrrha wasn't doing… well, what Yang liked to call studying. She was…

"Oh. She's asleep. Thank goodness," she breathed out with great relief. She might have lost a few years of her maximum expectancy.

"She's probably just tired after today," Jaune's tone was dismissive. "Huh. She's wearing my sweatshirt. I was gonna wash that. Don't want to disturb her though. I guess I can do that… later…"

She watched him as he took a few whiffs of the air. Ruby paled as she too noticed the musky scent lingering. It was the smell of light sweat and… _stuff_. Girly stuff. Stuff no boy should be allowed to know.

Jaune said nothing. He was completely quiet as he stared at Pyrrha for a moment. His face was blank. Calmly, almost stiffly, he walked over to the window and opened it. He said nothing else as he went for his bed, took the pillow, and headed back out of the room.

"Jaune…?" she watched him closely.

"Nope," he said quickly. "Not gonna disturb her. Gotta be tired. So I'm gonna call it an early night. I think I'll bunk with Zain tonight. See you later, Ruby."

He shut the door behind him, not willing to listen to any reply she might give.

Ruby flopped onto her own bed and groaned out into her pillow. Why was _she_ embarrassed for Pyrrha?! It's not like she was the one moaning out Jaune's name!

0-0-0

"Hi there, Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it."

"…Charmed," the girl who wore sunglasses in the middle of the night gave him a blunt and unwelcomed glare.

"Sorry to interrupt but I need to borrow this thing for a sec," he said, grabbing onto his intended target, and dragged it away before anyone could stop him.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Zain tried to resist but Jaune's grip on his uniform was absolute. "Fucking hell, Jaune. Be back in a minute, babe!"

The sunglasses girl just watched him go before turning sharply on her heels and walking away.

"Okay, that's enough!" Zain planted his feet onto the ground and swiped at Jaune's arm. It hardly budged but Jaune let go. The older man patted at the wrinkle in his jacket. "Unlike _somebody,_ I have to work hard to get laid."

Jaune glanced at his 'friend' and then back where the nameless girl disappeared to. He glared back at him, "The other day you complaining about sleeping with any of the students."

"First-years," Zain corrected with bite. "That back there was a _woman_. Second-year student and eighteen years of age. Big difference."

"Right, right. So does she know you're really in your mid—"

"Did you need something or are you just here to ruin my night?" Zain snapped back.

"I have conditions," Jaune said, losing all sarcasm. This matter was serious.

"That's not how it works," Zain flinched as if struck and pressed his palm to his brow. "That's not… You know what, fine. But I'm thirsty—"

"I can tell."

"Let me grab a drink first," Zain spoke through clenched teeth. "Maybe if you be nice I'll buy you one and _listen_ to your story."

Jaune made a dramatic gesture for the man to lead the way. Zain bumped into his shoulder and walked past him. They were silent until they reached the same vending machine as last time. Zain waved his scroll through it, pressed a few buttons, and ordered the same exact drinks as last time. He tossed one at Jaune.

"What is it?" Zain was a little calmer but still angry. He glared at Jaune while sipping on his green tea.

"I need lien," Jaune answered immediately.

"I will give you fifty right now if you walk away," was the heated reply. "I might be able to catch up to her."

Jaune kept staring at him, waiting for his actual response.

"How much we talking?" Zain said after a moment.

"Enough to pay for my necessities as well as any expenses I might have in the future. I need clothes, school supplies, and weapon kits right away."

"You have a Schnee in your back pocket," Zain pointed at him with the can. "Why not ask her for a loan?"

"I already told them I had some money stashed away," Jaune cracked open his drink and sipped on it. It was bitter. He hated black tea. Especially when it was the concentrated crap. "I'm not going to be a liability to my team. I have a plan, by the way."

"Then, please, tell me why I'm needed for your so-called plan," no amount of tea could fix how dry his voice was.

"The money is the only first step," Jaune said in a solid tone. "You're up to date with the news. Dust shops have been robbed left and right. Tell me where it all goes."

Zain studied him for a long moment. Eventually he answered, "Nowhere. I haven't been able to find any buyers. Prices for dust is rising up in all of Vale. The kingdom, by the way. Not just the capital. I've even heard some of the Schnee Dust Company's shipment has been hijacked."

"Something like that has to have expenses," Jaune pointed out. "Even if they're not using the dust at all, someone's gotta pay for the hired hands. There's money in there, right?"

"If you're asking, I don't know where the money's coming from. But, yes, there is money involved. Your teammate, Ruby, stopped one such robbery and helped arrest a few suspects. Those men worked for a respected businessman who runs the city's best club. Legally, he's clean. He just loaned his men off to someone else."

"Well what do you say we take it all back?" Jaune offered with a casual shrug.

"…Black God, you're an idiot," Zain's tone and eyes were exceptionally blunt.

"What's wrong with that?!"

"Other than making yourself an enemy to the crime lord of the city _and_ dragging me into your mess, where to start…?" Zain looked away and tapped against the opener of his can. "How about, oh I don't know, the boss will kill us!"

"Rav—"

"Names!"

" _She_ won't kill me."

"Maybe not but I happen to value my life. So no. If you want cash, I can _introduce_ you to the guy managing the operations. You can get a job through him."

"I'm not going to be some crook," Jaune's brows furrowed.

"Let me tell you what I'm hearing," Zain jabbed a finger his way. "You're going to be sneaking behind your team's back to beat up a few guys, ransack a couple warehouses, steal goods, and spend the spoils of your raid for yourself. Jaune-boy, how is that any different from what we did before?"

"Well, when you say it like _that_ ," Jaune growled. "It's different. It's against the bad guys."

"Grow up," Zain shook his head and leaned against the vending machine. "The real world isn't as black and white as the stories the boss made you read."

"I didn't say it was," Jaune put the cold drink to his brow to calm himself down. After a moment, he tried a different approach. "I have my way of doing things, you have yours. They may be one in the same but to me it's all about the intention. Work with me and it'll help you as well."

"I have my own means of making money," Zain retorted plainly. "Having a few extra lien isn't worth making an enemy with the most powerful man in the city."

"No, but how about having him work for us?"

Zain was quiet. His eyes fell flat but he didn't exactly disagree. He studied Jaune.

"I'll tell you what I want," Jaune stepped up and spoke with resolution. "I want people to be safe. I don't want the weak to be bullied by the strong. I don't want good people who have earned their keep robbed of their profits. I want the villains to have a taste of their own medicine.

"I'll be using the Branwen name for a bit. I'm going to make this guy be afraid of us. I'm going to hit him so hard he's going to be begging for us to stop. He'll pay. We'll control him. And through that, we can control all crime in Vale. I get what I want. And _she_ gets Vale."

Zain said nothing. His eyes were locked with Jaune's but his attention was elsewhere. Jaune could see the thoughts flowing in his mind.

"…Your plan needs work," was his reply. It wasn't a rejection.

"That's where you come in," Jaune gave him a smile. Not a friendly one but as welcoming as he could pull off to someone like him. "Me, big strong Hero. Muscle! You, smart guy. Thinker. Money manager and informant."

Zain bowed his head and let out a few cackles. His shoulders shook. "Gods, Arc. You want to fight crime… by committing crime. The irony isn't lost to me."

"It's… all I know how to do," Jaune admitted with a solemn tone.

"You can open a bakery," Zain offered casually.

"…That's not funny."

"It's been how many years and you're still upset about Spring? Whatever. Keep sulking for all I care. I take it you want to start this whole modus operandi immediately?"

"Tonight," Jaune nodded and lifted the pillow still under his other arm. "My teammates think I'm shacking up elsewhere. I'll be under their radar for the week."

"Tonight…" Zain's brows fell into a flat line. He sipped on his drink. "Well, you said you needed money. Fine. I just so happen to have heard a friend's sister's boyfriend's cousin's… yatta, yatta, yatta… there's this book store that's being used as a laundering. It's run by some faunus. But a guy comes every so often to collect their earnings. It just so happens to be tonight."

"Got it," Jaune said with a single nod. He already knew what to do. "The crime lord's name. What is it?"

"Roman Torchwick," Zain finished his drink and tossed it into the recycle bin a few yards away. "Just so we're clear, I'm going to reporting all of your progress to the boss. Whether you succeed or not."

"I already knew you were going to anyways," Jaune said as he shoved the pillow into his associate's arms. "At least I get something out of it. Tell me what you know about this book store. And if I follow the collector, what will I be expecting?"

Zain fluffed the pillow as he told him everything he collected thus far.

* * *

 **Pat reon: Arrixam**


End file.
